How it Should've Been
by AliceinChaos
Summary: Slightly AU/ Aria and Ezra should not have gotten back together. Spencer and Caleb should not have broken up. Emily deserves someone better than Alison. Focusing mainly on Aria, here is my version of how the story should have ended. Rated M for smut.
1. Prologue

This post is day 3 of my 7 posts in 7 days challenge. I'm taking a break from my AU series (Viewed Through a Broken Mirror and The Odd Squad), to explore alternative 'ships that I would have preferred at the end of the series.

 **Prologue**

She woke up to a tanned, muscular, shirtless man with shoulder-length blond hair and a scruffy beard holding out a cup of coffee for her. She graciously accepted it with a lingering kiss on his soft lips. In a few short hours, each would board a plane to separate destinations, but for now it was just the two of them in the secret garden of their forbidden tryst. She was floating on cloud nine.

"Won't you come with me to Ethiopia?"

"I can't, Jason, I'm sorry. I have this job interview in Boston, and I need to work, to make money," Aria spoke apologetically. Nothing would make her happier than leaving Rosewood, leaving the country, to live with Jason DiLaurentis. The time she spent with him in the last few weeks had been heavenly. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine the intimacy she had experienced with her best friend's older brother.

"The charity will pay for you, and just imagine how many people we will be able to help. People with problems much bigger than ours." His passion for helping people was one of the many things Aria had grown to love about the beautiful man before her.

"By the way, isn't that company the one that published Ezra's book?" he inquired painfully, as he turned his back on the goddess perched daintily on his bed sipping her coffee. That this petite brunette who had become his world these past few weeks still harbored feelings for her high school teacher was almost too much for him to handle.

" _That publishing company_ is one of the best in the country. I had to jump through hoops just to get this interview. It's an amazing opportunity for me," Aria protested. "Besides, I haven't spoken to Ezra in years. The company is so big I'd probably never even run into him."

Jason sighed then finished drinking his coffee in silence as Aria sauntered across the room to jump into the shower. He was so disappointed with the situation he didn't even follow her in, as he had almost every other time she showered. He heard the water blast the walls, then stop briefly as his fair-skinned goddess entered the stream, and his mind wandered to the first night they spent together.

 _After returning to Rosewood briefly to get his family affairs in order before his trip to Africa to join the peace corps, Jason stopped into the Brew for a cup of coffee. As he opened the door, his little sister's friend stood by the counter absentmindedly stirring sugar into her coffee. It had been a little over 4 years since he'd seen Aria at his sister's graduation party, and she had blossomed into a beautiful woman._

 _"Hey Aria," he said in a smooth, gentle voice. She turned in surprise, not expecting to run into anyone near the last call for coffee at the small-town Brew, especially not her childhood crush._

 _"Jason, hi!" she responded cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"I'm just in town for a few weeks to help my sister sort through some things in the house after my father left abruptly. He hasn't been able to deal with the realization Charlie has become Charlotte, and my sister is a mess," Jason said. "I've been out in Connecticut training for the peace corps. I'm headed to Ethiopia in a few weeks."_

 _"Wow, I'm impressed. I also might not have recognized you if you didn't say something. The rugged look suits you well," Aria referenced his long hair and scruffy beard._

 _"Would you like to take your coffee to go? It's a beautiful evening, we can sit out in the Square and catch up. I'd love to hear about your experience in Georgia. You went to S.C.A.D., right?"_

 _"Yeah, that sounds great. This place is about to close anyway and I'm not looking forward to spending a night at home with my dad. He's brooding over an empty house thanks to my mom moving in with her new squeeze and Mike off to college already for lacrosse training," Aria was floored Jason wanted to spend time with her. He had grown even more hansom than the last time she saw him, something she didn't think was possible._

 _They left the brew and walked the quiet streets of Rosewood, talking about family, the world outside of Rosewood and the very nature of the universe. Jason had grown philosophical in recent years of sobriety and Aria had a soft spot for deep intelligence. Before they knew it, Jason was leading Aria up to the apartment he had rented for the month. There was no way Jason could bear to stay in his old house, with all the sore memories of his high school years._

 _Aria could barely control herself, and had her arms around Jason's neck before the door had even closed. After deadbolting the door, Jason turned to Aria, gathered her in his arms, and leaned down to capture her soft lips in his. One kiss was all it took to send their desires, the ones they kept just below the surface, from boiling over into full-fledged passion. Aria reached for the hem of Jason's shirt, pulling it up over his head to reveal a rock-hard chest and well-defined abs. As she ran her nails across his waist, ending just above the button of his jeans, Jason grazed his hands across Aria's tiny waist and up to her lacy-covered breasts. As Aria pulled her shirt over her head, Jason skillfully undid her bra and watched it fall away to reveal her perfectly shaped breasts and rock-hard nipples. Jason sat on his bed and pulled Aria up to straddle his lap. She could feel his erection through his jeans as she rocked her hips against him in growing excitement. Jason took one nipple between his lips, with a gentle nibble before going for the other one, as his hands worked the button of Aria's leather pants. She stood quickly to peel down her pants, followed by her panties, before kneeling in front of Jason. Aria stared up into Jason's deep green eyes as she unbuttoned his pants and freed his erection. Without warning she took him into her mouth, down her throat, and then ran her tongue back up his shaft and continued sucking until he was on the brink of release. Jason stood and removed his pants and boxers before lifting Aria gently onto the bed. In an effort to prolong the intimacy, he began kissing her stomach gently, moving slowly to her inner thighs. Aria moaned loudly in approval, then began begging for Jason to enter. His passion was overwhelming, and Aria's sweet aroma begged him to use his tongue first. He gently ran his tongue up to her clit, then down to her entrance, and in as far as he could. After a few more times Aria was practically screaming in ecstasy. Finally Jason couldn't hold out any longer and gave her what she wanted, what she needed. He climbed up to kiss her, and Aria tasted herself for the first time. Jason entered her slowly, giving her time to adjust to his size. Aria had never been filled as much as she was now. Ezra's size was average, but Jason was an Adonis. It wasn't long before Jason and Aria become One, moaning in mutual ecstasy as they were overcome by the most powerful orgasm either had ever experienced._

Aria emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed and began applying her makeup, wondering just what the hell Jason had been thinking about. "You ok, Jay?"

"What? Oh yeah, just thinking. I probably ought to get dressed now, we need to leave for the airport soon," he said absentmindedly.

Aria could sense the hurt in his voice. She wanted more than anything to go with him, but she knew she couldn't. There were student loans to pay back, and if she got this job she was on the fast track to the successful career she had dreamed about. When she left Ezra more than four years ago to move to Georgia she thought she'd never survive. Focusing on her work allowed her to manage her pain, and she vowed she would never get so attached to another human being as long as she lived. She just didn't think she could handle the pain of another goodbye. And here she was. They had only been dating a few weeks, but this relationship with Jason was more intense and felt more real than things had ever been with Ezra.

An hour later, Aria and Jason were through security in the Philadelphia National Airport. Aria's flight to Boston left out of Gate A17 but Jason had to go all the way to concourse D for his. As they waited for the tram to arrive, Aria hugged Jason tightly, apologizing for not going with him. She tried with all her heart, but she couldn't prevent the tears from falling.

Jason could feel Aria's pain through the hug, could feel the slow sob coming up from her stomach, and felt like a horrible person to leave her like this. But there was nothing he could do. They were both following dreams, dreams that were pulling them apart. Just then the tram pulled up, and the hug was broken. Jason closed his eyes, leaned down, kissed her forehead and whispered "I love you Aria. Be safe." 

With that, the fairy tale spell broke and Aria's tears fell like Niagara Falls. She could barely stand up when Jason dropped his arms and walked towards the tram car. It absolutely killed him to leave her like this, but he didn't think he had a choice. They had decided together to go their separate ways when the time came. Jason knew Aria missed out on high school thanks to Fitz, and he wasn't going to make her give up her dream of a successful writing/publishing career. And he was so invested in the peace corps he knew he couldn't walk away from his commitment either. After sitting down, Jason turned to wave good-bye to the girl who possessed his entire heart, but she was sitting on the ground with her head between her knees sobbing hysterically.


	2. Sparia in Boston

Hey Everyone, thank you for the likes and reviews!

By the time Aria made it to her gate, the plane was already boarding. She sat on the floor by the tram in a daze for what felt like hours after Jason left. Aria was too heart-broken to watch him ride away so she kept her head between her knees until a security guard finally came over to see if she needed help.

"Are you alright miss?" the nice man whose nametag said DWAYNE asked the grief-stricken girl sitting on the floor crying. "Do you want me to help you find your gate?"

Aria looked up, embarrassed to be on the ground sobbing in the middle of a busy airport, and slowly nodded her head. Dwayne offered her his hand and she graciously accepted the assistance. "I'm going to gate A17, to Boston," she said.

Dwayne led her a short walk to the gate, where the plane was already boarding, and asked her if she would be ok. Aria nodded her head shyly and thanked the guard for his assistance.

The plane for the short flight from Philly to Boston was surprisingly small and Aria was lucky enough to have a seat in row one. Well, lucky in that she didn't have to fight her way all the way to the back, but unlucky because she was nearly the last one on the plane and could barely fit her carry-on into the overhead bin. As she sat down to buckle her seat belt, she could feel a growing pain in her chest, a pain that held her heart in a vice grip – threatening to crush it at any moment. The sobbing had subsided, but now she couldn't get the man she loved, the man she had let out of her head. _I love you Aria. Be safe._ The phrase kept repeating on a loop, and the words hadn't sunk in until after the tram car pulled away from the station. When she finally managed to look up it was long gone. No spoken good bye, no good-bye wave, no "I love you too." _What have I done?_

Aria didn't register she was intently reading the exit route strategy from the seat in pocket in front of her and hyperventilating until the stewardess captured her attention. "Nervous about the flight, miss?" the young lady named Carrie asked. "How about a glass of wine, on the house? Do you like red or white?"

Aria looked up, deer-in-the-headlights style. "Huh? Oh, yeah I suppose I'm a bit nervous," which was an only partially true, but an excellent cover so she wouldn't have to spill her guts about letting the man of her dreams slip through her fingers just moments earlier. "I guess a chardonnay sounds good, thank you," she said genuinely, through a forced smile. The flight went smoothly and the plane landed at Logan International Airport right on time for rush hour, 4:38 pm. Thankfully Aria's interview wasn't until the following day.

Once she made it to her hotel by 6:15 she realized she had neither eaten anything all day nor prepared for her interview scheduled for 10 am the next day. After checking into her room, she perused the room service menu only to find zero palatable vegetarian options. _Looks like I have to face the world again_ she thought despairingly. The wine on the plane made _that_ ride bearable, but being stuck in the cab during rush hour brought her back to nearly full-fledged panic.

Aria counted the squares on the linoleum as she ambled through the lobby of the hotel when a familiar voice echoed through the crowd currently evacuating the elevator. "Aria!" Spencer yelled with a smile, waving her hand wildly to knock Aria out of her dazed wandering.

"Holy shit, Spencer! What are you doing here?!" Aria shouted, genuinely happy for the first time since she woke up to Jason's smiling face earlier that morning, before she realized today would be goodbye.

"I'm here visiting BU law school, I'm thinking of transferring from Georgetown," Spencer replied. "How 'bout you? Do you still work in Philly?"

"No, the Philly gig was temporary, kind of like an internship. I'm here for an interview with Umbrella Publishing Company," Aria replied dejectedly. "Hopefully it goes better than the last few interviews I've had."

"Wow! Umbrella Publishing – that's huge!" Spencer was genuinely happy for her friend and felt awful for falling out of touch so quickly after the few weeks they were called to Rosewood for Charlotte's hearing and murder investigation. But she couldn't bear to linger in the town of terror once called home.

"Are you hungry Aria?" Spencer asked, concerned for Aria's rattled appearance. "I'm sure a good Portobello burger and some polenta fries would work wonders for you," Spencer continued. "Come with me, I know just the place."

* * *

Spencer did, in fact, know just the place for excellent vegetarian food, as well as a fine wine selection. They discussed Spencer's decision to move from D.C. to Boston, based around her ex-boyfriend with his new exotically-beautiful politician wife living in the same district. Aria lamented failing the last three job interviews she had in Philly, probably due to the distraction of Rosewood - the release, funeral and murder trial, as well as constant reminders of Ezra and the hell she had endured in high school. Nothing about Spencer's half-brother was mentioned. Nobody knew about Jason and Aria's short-lived, intense relationship, except for a few nameless people in the Philly airport that saw Aria's meltdown. Seeing Spencer was just the thing Aria needed that night. By the end of the night, Aria was chatting away happily, thanks to the distraction. Then Spencer put on her professional face and coached Aria for the interview. Deep down Spencer knew Aria didn't actually _need_ the coaching, she just needed the confidence to be herself, which seemed to have slipped away in recent weeks.

After dinner and drinks, Spencer walked her petite friend to her room. Remembering her job interview Aria had limited her wine consumption, but Spencer had not. As the taller girl, Spencer felt it was her duty to make sure Aria made it home safely, despite Spencer being the one stumbling slightly.

"Thanks for tonight, Spence," Aria said to her friend leaning on her door frame while she fished the room key out of her purse. "Are you ok to get back to your room?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just one floor up and second door on the left," Spencer said with a wink before leaning in to kiss Aria on the cheek. "Go get 'em tomorrow tiger!" With that Spencer turned back towards the elevator, straightening herself out.

"Good night, Spence!" Aria called to her friend.

"Good night, Little One," Spencer turned around to blow Aria a kiss. Aria chuckled to herself as she watched her tough-exteriored friend's drunken attempts to flirt with her. _Being around Toby must really be taking a toll on her._ "Don't forget to call me after you ace your interview!"

Aria flicked on the light as she walked into her dark room. After emptying the bladder she thought would explode at any minute, she looked in the mirror. Today had taken a major toll on her, but a surprise night out with Spencer was her saving grace. She downed two cups of water, brushed her teeth, washed her face and slept soundly.

* * *

Two weeks after she started her new job in Boston, Aria was settling in to spend a quiet Friday night at home watching Netflix. Aria was scrolling through her phone app, debating Gilmore Girls or Friends, when she heard a loud bang on the door. She was not expecting anyone, so she was pleasantly surprised to open it and find Spencer holding a bouquet of lilacs and purple lilies and a gold "Congratulations!" helium balloon, yelling "Surprise!".

Aria dropped her phone and jumped into Spencer's arms, between the flowers and ridiculous balloon. "Oh my god Spence! I can't believe you're here!"

"Well lucky for you, I'm here to stay. I officially transferred to BU Law School so I could get away from Toby. Are you in need of a roommate?" Spencer snuck in her ulterior motive for visiting Aria. Boston was an expensive place to live and since she was transferring mid-semester (things were _that_ bad being near Toby and Yvonne) apartments were scarce.

"Of course! I'd love to have you!" Aria was offered substantially more than expected from Umbrella Publishing, and sprung for a luxury two-bedroom apartment. "When do you start at BU?"

"I have a week and a half," Spencer replied, grateful for her gracious friend. "I'm just here for the weekend, and I can get the rest of my stuff from my room near Georgetown early next week if that's ok. Assuming you don't have any major plans I would be interrupting if I asked you to let me stay here."

"Of course you can stay! Team Sparia, together at last!" Aria was all of a sudden ready to go out and face the world outside of her apartment and work cubby. "You in the mood for a drink?"

* * *

Meanwhile, halfway across the earth, Jason DiLaurentis lay awake in his tent. He'd been in Ethiopia for a month, and while he was busy during the days, helping the poor community build itself up, he was briefly able to push Aria from his mind. But at night, after the others in the Corps fell asleep under their own mosquito nets, Jason lay awake remembering the times he shared with Aria. Their first night together. Her falling asleep on his shoulder while watching late night movies. The way she smelled. And then worst of all, the painful goodbye. Boarding that tram while Aria sat sobbing with her head between her knees was heart-wrenching. He had cried himself to sleep for days after that.

a/n: Today is day 4 of my 7-in-a-row posting challenge to myself, so I'm kind of in "automatic writing" mode with minimal editing. Hopefully there aren't too many errors. I think the last paragraph about Jason may seem a bit rushed. I'm planning to focus on Aria's life and what happened to her in Boston, but also curious about how Jason deals with his feelings for Aria when he's so far away. Liam and Ezra will be involved in upcoming chapters for angst, and I think it will be fun to see what happens when Spencer and Aria live together in Boston! Let me know what you think, if you have any ideas for scenes, I have a vague idea of how I want the story to go, but I love throwing in extra details when I can. After my 7 day posting crush I will begin posting longer chapters, but only once a week or so. I hope you enjoy the ride!


	3. Aria's Past

*****Trigger warning for this chapter***** There is a scene of sexual assault in this chapter and I have marked it with asterisks (*****) before and after so you can skip if you need to

Spencer dropped her bags off in Aria's apartment, and wandered around while Aria got changed to go out for a drink. The two hailed a cab from Aria's apartment building to a swanky new bar across town. They took seats at a high table near the back end of the bar where it was relatively quiet.

"So, Little One, tell me all about your new job," Spencer asked after the pair ordered their martinis.

"I like it so far. The work is challenging and my boss is a bit intimidating, but the people there are nice," Aria began. "My work friend Sophia brought me to her yoga studio last week, and I'm excited to keep going back." Then switching gears, "what made Toby and Yvonne move so close to you? I thought they were moving to Maine."

Spencer took a deep breath, not sure where to begin. "Well after my mom won the senate race, the Philips campaign disbanded rather abruptly. Yvonne was disappointed, but still wanted to work in government so she convinced Toby to move to the DC area," Spencer spoke more quickly than usual to avoid getting upset about Toby. "After my parents split up and my mom moved to Harrisburg I turned down her offer for a job for me in Harrisburg and moved back to DC for law school. I've been seeing someone, but it's still really weird around Toby."

Aria's face lit up with her friend's new gossip. "Oh, who's the lucky guy?"

"Well," Spencer took another deep breath. "It's Caleb. After the trial and everything, after Hanna began working with Lucas, they decided each lived in completely different worlds and Caleb moved back to DC. He's working for the Department of Defense, kind of a professional hacker – trying to break into the government's servers and pointing out holes in their security. It's been fairly casual," Spencer lied to herself as much as to her friend, "especially since things moved too fast with us during my mom's senate race, and since he's still good friends with Toby."

"Have you talked about what's going to happen when you move up here?" Aria was concerned for her friend. Seeing her heartbroken over Caleb once was too much.

"I'm not sure whether we are in the stage of our relationship that I can ask Caleb to move. He knows how hard things are for me at Georgetown, and supports my move here, but I don't know what that means for our relationship," Spencer began to look forlorn. "Maybe you can give me some advice?"

Aria was not sure she could give unbiased advice. Leaving Jason to chase her dream while he went to Africa with the Peace Corps was a decision she regretted every day. Each time she thought the pain was subsiding, each time she felt herself move forward in her life, some random memory of him would bring her down. Luckily she was saved by the arrival of their drinks.

"Right now I don't think I'm in a position to give you any life advice other than to drink up!" Aria grinned as she brought her glass up to clink Spencer's.

"Well you seem to be doing well," Spencer observed. The smaller girl put an exorbitant amount of effort into hiding her emotions, and a few cocktails would surely reduce her to tears if she allowed it. "How did you deal with leaving Ezra when you moved to Boston? Are you two still in touch?" Aria's secrecy when they were all in town for the trial made her friends think she was still seeing Ezra.

"I left Ezra when I went to college," Aria began slowly. "It was hard, but I needed to try to live a normal life. Dating my high school teacher kind of ruined high school for me and I didn't want that at college. But I was so broken up I had a hard time connecting with anyone during college. I spent most weekends either holed up in my room writing what I now consider to be very disturbing poetry, or out in the woods setting up surreal scenery to photograph." For a period of time at the end of her junior year, she lived on coffee and wine, sleeping only a few hours a night as she tried to capture the unravelling of her universe both on film and on paper. Nobody knew about the week she had to spend in the psychiatric ward of the hospital.

"I haven't been in touch with Ezra since he called me during my junior year of college and then showed up on my door step drunk as hell. After his book tour and new-found fame he told me he felt empty inside and that I was the only thing that could fill the void," Aria started tearing up as her breath caught in her throat remembering that night from a few years ago as if it was yesterday. She could still smell his stale whiskey and awful cigar breath, the all-consuming fear for how unpredictable she knew Ezra could be when he was drunk. A very concerned Spender stood up and walked around the table to hug her petite friend who was moments away from full-blown panic attack.

"My roommate was gone for the weekend," Aria managed to speak in broken phrases as her short breaths allowed her. "Ezra pushed himself into my apartment, and closed the door behind him as he pushed me up against the wall, ripped off my shirt and pulled down my skirt. With one hand, he held me against the wall by my throat while he undid his pants. I tried kicking and screaming for help but it only made him more excited. When he penetrated, I was completely dry, but that did not deter Ezra from pounding me hard enough to make the wall shake. The pain was excruciating, it consumed my whole being. He kept trying to convince me that we were meant to be together and that with his successful book he could take care of me and I wouldn't have to work. Basically, he promised me the Garden of Eden while the devil inside of him wreaked havoc on my body. After he finished, he passed out and I ran into the bathroom to call 911. I had to file a police report and go to the hospital for a rape kit. I took out a PFA against him, and after 30 days in Savannah jail his mother paid the wipe his record clean and Ezra moved back to Rosewood."

"Oh my god, Aria, that's awful, why didn't you reach out to any of us?" Spencer was aghast, and ashamed of herself for not being there for her friend when she needed her the most.

"You were all busy with school and living your own lives. I didn't want to bring you guys into my mess of a life. I went to counseling once, but the lady seemed to not believe my story. The counseling was almost as bad as the assault itself as I had to relive the entire traumatic event. I didn't want my friends to see what a frail person I had become," Aria said, starting to calm down but still quite shaken up. "I spent a lot of time incorporating surrealism into my writing and photography, basically trying to capture the disintegration of my universe. The only person I was actually able to connect with was this guy who worked in a beer store that was right next to the alternative bar I frequented. At first I just thought Gordon was a weird dude, but I had brief conversations with him as we stood outside smoking cigarettes."

"You smoke?! Since when?" Spencer gasped.

"I used to smoke. After the incident with Ezra I began drinking heavily and smoking cigarettes and barely sleeping. I was convinced I was uncovering spectacular secrets of the universe, I could see and sense all sorts of connections that weren't there. Gordon and I talked about chaos theory and he brought up chaos magick, encouraging me to check out the writings and art of Phil Hine and Austin Osmond Spare, which by the way are mind-blowing when contemplated from the right frame of mind. Gordon considered himself a shaman and magi, and explained belief systems can be used as tools rather than ends in and of themselves. Magick, with k to differentiate it from circus magic, is a way to cause change in conformity with will. Basically bringing an intent to fruition requires deep meditation and focus."

"Well that sounds, eccentric," Spencer replied, contemplating this whole new side of Aria no one seemed to know about. "Is that how you managed to get past the Ezra thing?"

"Kind of," Aria began, "but ultimately my deep thinking and lack of sleep led to daily hallucinations and delusions. I was hospitalized for a week, and I've been on a variety of different mood stabilizers and other psychotropic drugs ever since."

"Holy shit, what happened when we were all back in Rosewood for Charlotte's trial? The others and I thought you were shacking up with Fitz but didn't want us to know about it. I assume the PFA was no longer valid in PA, so how did you handle seeing him?"

"I avoided the brew and never went anywhere by myself. Hanna and Emily were confused when we were having drinks at the Radley and I needed one of them to walk me to the bathroom and the other to stay at the table to make sure nobody put anything into my drink when I saw Ezra walk in. He took a table right next to ours and started up a conversation with Hanna. After Em and I returned from the bathroom and saw Hanna & Ezra wave to us, I quickly left to get a cab and texted Hanna goodbye," Aria said.

"They told me about that. We all just figured it was some sort of cover to make everyone think you hadn't gotten back together. I feel horrible for thinking you were still dating him on the down-low."

Spencer flagged the waitress for two more drinks and started telling ridiculous stories about what she and Caleb imagined Toby and Yvonne talked about, in hopes of lightening the mood. Caleb imagined Toby was super-awkward at the types of fancy dinners Yvonne brought him to, and that when they were alone Yvonne talked in a southern drawl to make Toby less self-conscious. It worked, as the thought of how awkward their relationship must be – Toby was certainly not a city guy – made Aria smile.

Just then a couple of guys in their mid-thirties, a blond guy wearing a suit and a dark-haired guy wearing jeans and a red tee-shirt stopped by their table. The blond announced their presence with "Haaaave you met Ted?" before quickly walking back towards the bar.

Ted apologized for his friend and then introduced himself to Spencer and Aria. Ted explained his friend Barney was kind of a lunatic, and invested way too much of his time to making extravagant plans to get laid. Then occasionally he'd try to help Ted. Ted turned out to be a charming, funny guy and the three sat chatting until last call when Barney returned with a girl named Natalia to inform Ted his evening was about to get _legendary_.

Ted walked Spencer and Aria outside and hailed a cab for them before turning towards the stairs that led to his apartment above the Rathskellar. "Good night ladies, thanks for saving me tonight. I'm sure I'll see you next time!"

Spencer nudged Aria when they got into the cab. "He's cute, you should've slipped him your number."

"Nah," Aria said sleepily as she rested her head on Spencer's shoulder. "He's not quite my type." No one but Jason DiLaurentis was Aria's "type."

* * *

Two weeks later Spencer returned to her and Aria's apartment around 4:30 – a bit earlier than usual for a Friday, but their professor was feeling generous and dismissed the students early. As she was turning the key to open the deadbolt, she could feel her phone buzz then heard Aria's ringtone. Once she opened the door and set her things down she answered to hear her friend's extra-bubbly voice.

"Come to Happy Hour with us! We're at the Rathskellar!"

"Woah Little One, take a deep breath," Spencer responded, smiling at her adorable partner in crime. "Who's _we_?"

"My friends from work! There's Sophia, and Liam, and some other people that got stuck in a late meeting with Jillian should be here soon. Right now it's just me, Sophia and Liam," Aria replied, trying to cover her early buzz. "And Ted's here too now!" so much for covering her buzz.

"Ok, I'll be there in 45." Spencer was not particularly in the mood to rush back out into the city, but it was hard to say no to Aria, and she needed to get her mind off Caleb. She hadn't spoken to him in more than a week and he barely replied to texts.

Spencer begrudgingly changed out of her stuffy law attire into casual ripped jeans, an off-the-shoulder red shirt and classic blue Chucks. She walked out into the cool late fall afternoon and called an uber. When she reached the Skellar, a few more people had joined Aria, Sophia and Liam. Needing a moment to get into the right frame of mind, Spencer walked to the bar and asked for a double-shot of Jim Beam along with a Beam and Diet. When the bar tender poured an extra-heavy shot of Beam, Spencer winked at him, downed the shot, put a $20 on the bar and picked up her other drink. She smirked at Aria in the mirror behind the bar, then turned and joined her friend's work crew around the two large booths they'd claimed for the evening.

Aria introduced her work friends, whose names went in one of Spencer's ears and out the other. Spencer only knew Sophia and Liam, and didn't particularly care to know the others, so just waved a generic "hi" to everyone and took a seat next to Ted. As Spencer looked down and took a sip of her drink she nearly sprayed the whole mouthful on the table as she caught a glance of Ted's ridiculous footwear.

"What in the hell are you wearing on your feet Ted?" she asked, starting at his red cowboy boots.

Ted stood up to show them off again. "Awesome, right?!" He'd already gotten mocked when he showed up, but was too proud of his ridiculous boots to let anyone get him down.

Spencer just smirked and nodded her head slowly. "Whatever you say, Cowboy."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see her little friend bouncing up and down in her seat trying to get Spencer's attention. "Yes, Aria?"

Aria pointed to the far end of the bar and squealed "look who it is!"

Spencer slowly turned her head to see a dark-haired man wearing a red plaid shirt with his back to her working on his laptop while drinking a Harpoon IPA. It was a vision she'd seen many times as she always arrived slightly late for their unofficial dates. But it couldn't be. Spencer felt as if she'd been in a desert for weeks without water and her mind was playing tricks on her. That man could not be anyone other than Caleb, but it was surely a mirage. Without thinking, Spencer stood up, her mind in a trance-like state, and walked over to her mirage. She tapped the man on the shoulder and he turned around. Spencer was staring into Caleb's dark brown eyes, the very same ones she had grown to love during their time together.

"Spencer," Caleb said with his beautiful smile, bringing her back to the moment, "hi."

Breathlessly, Spencer reached her arms around the man she'd left tearfully in D.C. when she moved up to Boston, the man she thought she'd never see again, the man that held her entire heart. "What are you doing here?"

"My government contract ended, and I interviewed for a job yesterday at Carbonite Inc and decided to stay up her for the weekend," Caleb replied. "I wanted to surprise you, so I got ahold of Aria and made plans to meet up with you guys out here. God I've missed you so much," Caleb whispered as he hugged Spencer tightly.

"So wait, you're moving up here?" A confused Spencer raised her eyebrows suspiciously, still a bit skeptical of the whole situation.

"I'm planning to if I get the job offer," Caleb replied nervously. He hadn't known what to expect from Spencer when he surprised her. She planned for everything, and had never been too keen on surprises. "Maybe I'll move up here even if I don't get the offer," he said cautiously, "if that would be ok with you."

"OMG, of course it would be!" Spencer gushed like a school-girl as she pulled him in for another hug. _I hope to god this is not a dream_ , Spencer added in her head, as she felt her whole body warming with excitement. "Come over and meet Aria's friends from work!"

* * *

In the two months since he'd been in Africa, Aria showed up in fewer of his thoughts and dreams, but there was still a lingering desire to hold her, smell her, make love to her. They had come together, each in broken pieces, to become something beautiful. He was struggling with sobriety, the death of one sister and the hospitalization of the other. She had been reduced to shambles, a mere façade of her former self, by the rape of her ex-boyfriend. Jason was the only person in Rosewood she told about it, the only one she felt truly safe with. Then he left her, alone and crying on the floor in the middle of the airport. _God I am an idiot_ he thought.

Nicole Francesca was from Tennessee and joined the Peace Corps about a month after Jason. She was attractive, and nice to talk to what with her Southern drawl, but Jason wasn't as interested in her as she was in him. Still, Nicole was one of Jason's favorite people in the group. They could hold deep intellectual conversations and she did not have the same "Holier Than Thou" attitude most of the people in the group had. Somehow Jason had ended up with the most narcissistic faux-altruistic people possible. Their days were long and grueling, helping to rebuild schools and requesting donations for supplies from the headquarters in America. The people of Ethiopia were genuinely happy for the good will of the Corps and excited to help out in any way they could.

One night, after a particularly intense conversation between Jason and Nicole, the inevitable happened: they had sex. Nicole had gradually fallen for Jason – his brooding green eyes, heart of gold, deep intelligence and godly body – and fallen hard. Jason, acutely aware of Nicole's feelings, tried to play along. He was lonely, his body craving the gentle touch of a woman, but deep down it didn't feel right. In the months following their first night together, Jason became more attracted to Nicole but could never get Aria off his mind. As Nicole fell harder for Jason, he tried to be the man she wanted, but deep down he grew to hate himself…

a/n: Please no Spaleb/Haleb bashing yet. Hanna's love life takes an unexpected turn while working with Lucas, and I promise she will not end up alone. Hopefully this chapter doesn't seem too rushed, but I've started a new job and do not have as much time to write as I had before. I'd love to know what you think!


	4. Aria & Liam's new project

Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I'm obsessed with over-planning and making my story lines too complex. I've turned this into a bit of a cross-over with How I Met Your Mother (I imagine the Skellar to look kind of like McClaren's). There's no smut in this chapter, but I want to develop the story line and build up suspense around the Jaria 'ship.

******8 Months Later*******

During the Thursday morning staff meeting at Umbrella Publishing, Aria learned her boss had given Ezra an advance for a follow-up to his book. As luck would have it, she and Liam were going to have the opportunity to work with him.

 _"Isn't that the company that published Ezra's book?" Jason had asked with pain in his eyes. If only you knew the truth about him, she thought._

"Wow, looks like we're in for a ride, how 'bout it Montgomery?" Liam asked, grinning from ear-to-ear as they walked out of the meeting.

"Uh, yeah, it's gonna be crazy," she replied absentmindedly, _working with a fucking monster_ she added in her head.

"I know, the guy's a fucking genius, I can't wait to work with him personally" Mr. Green replied with gusto. "Want to grab coffee or a beer after work and start to hash out a plan for working with Fitz? I don't want to look foolish during our first meeting."

If they were going to be discussing Ezra, she figured she'd need more than coffee. "I guess beer would be good, let's go to the Skelllar," Aria suggested.

When the work day ended Aria texted Spencer to let her know she'd be home late, and then hopped onto the train with Liam to head downtown.

* * *

Spencer glanced down at Aria's text briefly before her friend's face popped up on the screen along with her unique ringtone.

"Hey Han, how's it going?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, well, there's highs and lows. I just got in the third quarter earnings report and we did much better than anyone thought. I'm meeting up with Lucas and our Japanese investor Mr. Soto at the Radley in about 15 minutes," Hanna talked distractedly through her high news before segueing into the low. "Have you heard anything from Emily or Alison recently?"

Spencer had to stop and think. Her school schedule was jam-packed and she barely had any time for Caleb, let alone Aria, both of whom she lived with. "No Han, my work load is overwhelming this semester and I'm in the middle of applying for internships which will very much decide my success as a lawyer," Spencer said without meaning to sound snide. "Is everything OK?" she asked a little bit softer.

"Well Ali called me this morning in tears," Hanna began. "She and Emily got into a huge argument this morning. She kicked Emily out and won't let her see their kids."

"What the fuck?" Spencer was astonished. "Why the hell would she do that?"

"Emily's been lost ever since she returned from California for Charlotte's trial," Hanna said. "She's got a pretty bad reputation for sleeping around, and Ali caught her with some blonde chick last weekend. Emily's had a revolving door of mistresses for quite some time and that was the nail in the coffin."

"Oh my god," Spencer replied in shock. "Where's Emily now?"

"From what I've-Oh shit Spence, here comes Lucas and Mr. Soto," Hanna interrupted herself. "I need to go but I wanted to let you know what's going on back here. Aria is impossible to get a hold of too, by the way. Can you fill her in when you get a chance?"

 _Oh boy_ Spencer thought to herself, before finishing up the email she was in the middle of when she was interrupted by Aria and then Hanna. It hadn't yet occurred to her that she had very few details about the bomb she was supposed to fill her friend in on.

* * *

When they got to the Skellar, Aria claimed a table in the corner while Liam got them each a beer from the bar. While waiting for Liam, Aria closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, meditating briefly before putting up her shields for the conversation that was about to come. Liam knew Aria had Ezra for a teacher, but that was about the extent of his knowledge of their relationship.

"Here you go Montgomery," Liam broke her thoughts when he put an ice-cold lager in front of his new partner. Liam was genuinely looking forward to getting to work on this project. In his opinion Ezra was a genius, and in addition to her first-hand knowledge of the author, his work partner was gorgeous.

Aria looked up at Liam and smiled. Although she dreaded working with Ezra, there was no better coworker to be paired with than Liam. Hopefully not _all_ good-looking writers were as awful as Ezra. She hated to admit that she had a crush on Liam – not just because of Jason – but because he was a coworker. Jillian frowned upon inter-office relationships because it was distracting. _If only she knew the extent of my relationship with Ezra…_ Aria thought.

After their 4th pint, Liam decided to put an end to their work and instead put the moves on Aria. He gently picked up her small hands, causing her to drop her pencil and raise her furrowed eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't intend to work everything out tonight, Aria," Liam said jokingly. He had to admire the tenacity with which she approached the book. It was almost as if she had something to prove to her former teacher – that she would be respected as a colleague and not belittled as a former student.

"Sorry," Aria replied shaking her head as she quickly retracted her hands from Liam's grasp. "I'm just really nervous about working with Ezra on this."

"No need to apologize," Liam responded with a wink, hoping he hadn't put her off when he grabbed her hands. "You need to come off as a professional rather than a former student, I get it."

"It's not that simple," Aria said as she attempted to take a deep breath. While she had been focusing on plowing through the first draft notes and trying to find the most objective way to word her questions and comments for the asshole author she was stuck working with, she did not notice her old anxiety gradually pushing on her chest. Once Liam broke her concentration she came back to the moment and started hyperventilating.

"Hey," Liam said gently, observing the petite brunette's obvious distress. "I was just kidding about needing to prove yourself to Fitz, I'm sure he'll be professional. Besides, you have me," Liam grinned as he pointed to himself. "I'm a third party and will make sure the revisions stay objective and Fitz doesn't belittle you. There's nothing to be concerned about."

Aria knew he was wrong. She took a big gulp of her beer and prepared herself to give Liam a glance into how complicated her relationship was with her former teacher and subsequent rapist. "I actually dated Ezra for over a year when I was in high school," she began.

Now it was Liam's turn to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Aria watched his jaw drop and Liam's speechlessness screamed volumes at her.

"I met him at a bar the weekend before my junior year of school started," Aria continued defensively. "It was right after we got back from a year in Iceland and I was not ready to face the town one of my best friends disappeared from. Ezra started talking to me, we had a few drinks together, and then practically had sex in the bathroom. He pretended to be surprised the next Monday morning when we saw each other in my AP English class. We both knew it was wrong but we were drawn to each other. I fell in love with him, even after I found out he was just using me to get information about a book he was writing about my friend that disappeared. He knew who I was in the bar, and took advantage of the situation. I ended up forgiving him but when I left for college I told him it was over," Aria rushed all that into one breath as she wouldn't have been able to get it all out any other way.

"Wow," Liam responded when Aria paused. "What a creep. Ostinato was not about some missing high school girl though – what ever happened to the book he was writing while he strung you along?"

Aria could hardly believe he processed all that. "Oh, well apparently he burned it after I found out about it, but that's not the worst part," Aria's breath was shaky, and her eyes a bit glassed over when she looked back up at Liam.

Liam moved his chair to Aria's side of the table to put a comforting, friendly arm around her. "It's ok Aria, I'm here as a friend and professional colleague. You can tell me anything, or nothing, whatever you are comfortable with. That will help me plan my approach to working with him."

Aria leaned her head against his arm as he gently rubbed her back. He was surely not ready for the bomb she was about to drop "During my junior year at SCAD, Ezra showed up drunk on my doorstep," Aria began hyperventilating again, "a-and raped me." Tears fell down like rain as she buried her face in Liam's shoulder. As hard as it was to get out the basics, Aria knew there was no way she could go into the details she had with Spencer.

"Aria, oh my god," Spencer said concerned when she approached her friend crying in Liam's arms, "what happened?"

"Spence, what are you doing here?" Aria perked up a bit when she heard her friend's voice and turned to look at the taller girl through her tears.

"Uh, it's Thursday, girls' night," Spencer replied with a confused expression that turned to anger when she saw Fitz's name on the top of her page of notes. "What the fuck is that?"

"We were assigned to work with Ezra on his second book at our staff meeting today and decided to have a beer to discuss how to approach the topic," Liam began. "Aria just filled me in on their history and now I understand why she thought beer would be a better option than coffee. My opinion of the asshole just went straight to hell. Stay here with Aria, I'm going to buy us all another round."

Spencer sat down where Liam was and put her arm around Aria, and felt her distressed partner-in-crime relax a bit. "At least you don't have to work with him one-on-one," she said soothingly. "Liam's a great guy and this will give you a reason to spend more time with him." Though Aria never came out and said it Spencer could tell she had a bit of a thing for her coworker.

"I know," Aria replied, "I'm looking forward to working with him but you know Jillian's policy on inter-office dating..." she trailed off. She'd had enough of hiding relationships for 10 lifetimes.

"You snuck around with Fitz for over a year in high school," Spencer said, the words flowing from her mouth without thinking about them, "surely you could date Liam on the D-L." As soon as the words left her mouth Spencer was kicking herself. _Why the hell would I say that_?

Luckily they were interrupted by the arrival of their drinks as Aria stared at Spencer, in awe of her complete lack of tact.

"So Spencer, how's law school treating you?" Liam asked conversationally, switching to an easier topic.

"Ugghhh it's just fantastic," Spencer's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I spend more time with my books than I spend with Aria and Caleb combined."

"Speaking of Caleb, how's his job going?" Liam replied. "Is he meeting us here?"

"I'm not planning on Caleb being here – did you miss the part about girls' night, Liam?" Spencer asked jokingly. "But you might be able to get him out. It'd be good for him to interact with people rather than the inanimate ones and zeros of the programming world."

References to the ones and zeros of information technology always made Aria chuckle so Spencer used it whenever she could. Her sidekick had an infectious smile and laugh. "Caleb loves his job though, and the pay's fantastic," Spencer continued. "We're thinking of looking for our own apartment so we can get out of Aria's hair."

Aria pouted dramatically. "I'll be so sad and lonely though." Occasionally they all got on each other's nerves but for the most part all were respectful roommates. Aria barely ever even heard their headboard pounding against the wall on the other side of the bathroom.

"Have you guys looked at any places yet? I think there might be a free apartment in my building across town if you're interested," Liam offered.

"Actually we just looked at an apartment upstairs," Spencer told him. "Above the bar – across from Ted's apartment." Liam looked at her quizzically. "Oh you remember Ted, the guy with the red cowboy boots."

The lightbulb went on over Liam's head. "Right, he seems like a cool guy. Won't it be hard to get work done living upstairs from a bar?"

"There're bars all over town, it won't be too distracting living here. It'll actually be quite convenient," Spencer returned. "Turns out Ted's roommate Marshall is a year ahead of me in law school."

"Sasquatch?" Aria asked, perking up thinking about their friends from upstairs. "I love that guy," she chuckled to herself, thinking of all the bad jokes Marshall brought out after a few drinks. The arrival of Spencer lightened her mood as she drowned the memory of Ezra with each sip of her beer. "I wonder where the hell Sophia is, she's usually out by now," Aria turned her attention to her phone as she texted another girls' night regular attendee. Moments later Sophia walked in, followed by Robin and Lilly, friends of the aforementioned Ted and Marshall, though Lilly and Marshall were a bit more than friends.

"Why's he here on girls' night?" Sophia asked, pointing at Liam and giving Aria the hairy eyeball. "Did he forget his dick in his other pants again?" a question that pushed all the girls into fits of laughter.

"No," Aria managed to squeak out in an intoxicated breath. "We were working on a plan of how to attack Ezra's new book." Aria giggled uncontrollably at her own wit.

"Well I can take a hint, I'll see if I can get Caleb out here to balance this estrogen," Liam chuckled. "Where are Ted and Marshall?" he asked Lilly and Robin.

"Oh Ted had to wash his hair and Marshall is working late at the library preparing for some sort of major exam coming up," Lilly said subtly mocking Ted and his feminine side before turning her attention to Spencer. "Just wait until you get Markowski next year. You'd better get on her good side early, she's a fuckin' bear."

With that, Ted walked in and took his usual booth in the middle of the bar, signaling to Wendy the Waitress and then Liam. Liam gathered his notes in his briefcase then picked up his beer and went over to join Ted after confirming Caleb was in fact on his way.

The evening wore on with the usual gusto, the girls drinking and gossiping, Liam and Ted talking about sports or shoes, depending on whose topic was being discussed. Ted was having a bit of an existential crisis regarding his career as an architect, and was nearly off the deep end of his sanity. Eventually Caleb and Marshall filed in and after Barney made his grand entrance, the groups intermingled. Barney's drunk antics had a particularly magnetic quality.

Tonight's shenanigans grew particularly epic, during which time Liam grew increasingly protective of Aria, as it was her turn to be hit on by Barney this particular evening. Aria was amused with Barney's over-the-top attention, and he was impressed by her ability to outwit every single one of his awful pick-up lines. The best part of the evening for Aria though was Liam's protectiveness.

After last call, Liam poured Aria into a cab with Caleb and Spencer. "Take care of her for me," Liam asked with an undertone of deeper-than-drunkenness concern for his coworker.

"Of course," Caleb smiled knowingly.

* * *

Friday morning came quickly and Aria laid in bed after hitting snooze with the previous night's shenanigans swirling through her mind. The major thing that kept repeating on a loop was how giddy she felt around Liam, then how terrified she was about working with Ezra followed by the dull ache in her heart from Jason's absence. The only contact she'd had with him was a few spotty emails he could send when he managed to get into the nearby town. She always replied right away – to tell him about her job, Spencer moving in with her and that she was doing well in Boston – but that she missed him and couldn't wait to see him when he got back to the US. Jason talked about all the work he was doing, how great it made him feel to bring smiles to the local kids' faces, but he seemed distant. Jason told her he wasn't good with only electronic communication, but lately it seemed he was putting less effort into getting in touch with her at all. Aria feared the worst after the third time he mentioned another charity worker named Nicole. It had been 3 months since the last email from Jason came through.

"Rise and shine, Little Buddy!" Spencer stuck her head into Aria's room to make sure she managed to get up in time for work. "I've got a mug of Spencer-approved coffee waiting for you!"

Spencer-style coffee meant extra-strong. _Fantastic_ , Aria thought with only a hint of sarcasm. Deep down she knew she'd need an entire pot of Spencer's coffee to get through the day, after the long night and impending work with Ezra. Aria threw on a pair of shorts with her sleeping tank top and walked out to the breakfast bar to find an already-dressed Spencer holding her favorite Georgia Peach mug filled with steaming hot coffee.

"You're a life saver, Spence," she said. "I'm going to be really sad if you and Caleb move out. I expect you'll still come over to make me coffee every morning," Aria grinned hopefully.

"Make a girl a coffee and she's awake for a day," Spencer began in her lecture voice. "Teach the girl to make coffee and she'll never have to sleep again!"

Aria rolled her eyes and gave her favorite roomie ever a huge hug, and added a friendly kiss on the check. "Seriously, when you guys move out I'll be devastated."

"I'm sure you'll be able to find another roommate," Spencer began, "what about Sophia? Does she have a roommate?"

"I love Sophia, but I don't think I could live with someone I had to work with every day," Aria replied. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I managed OK before you moved in."

"You barely left the apartment other than to go to work or buy groceries," Spencer said with concern in her voice. She was probably more apprehensive about moving out than Aria was, but she knew Caleb wanted them to have their own space.

"And look at me now, I've made friends, and if you're not here then I'll have all the reason in the world to leave this apartment for reasons other than work and groceries," Aria said proudly. She knew Spencer was making reference to how much of a shut-in Aria had been when she first moved to Boston, in the weeks after Jason had left for Ethiopia.

With that, Caleb emerged dressed for work which indicated it was Aria's turn to use the shower. She showered last because of her tendency to use all of the hot water. Aria downed her coffee and gave Spencer another hug, knowing she'd be gone by the time Aria finished her long, hot shower. "Morning Caleb," Aria offered her best friend's beau. "Have a good day in computer land!"

"Thanks Aria," Caleb returned with a smile. "It's good to see you walking on your own two feet this morning."

* * *

Aria arrived at the Umbrella Publishing office at the exact same moment as Liam.

"After you," he said as he opened the door for Aria.

"Thanks," she responded shyly, staring into his eyes briefly before averting her gaze to the floor as she walked through the door juggling her travel coffee cup and briefcase. Occasionally she felt foolish carrying a fancy briefcase, especially when it clashed with her typically-eccentric attire, but it was a gift from Spencer and she never went into work without it. However for the first few days all she had in it was an empty journal, some pencils and a pack of Skittles. Now it was practically radioactive, carrying the draft of Ezra's book.

"You look surprisingly good this morning, considering the shape you left in last night," Liam complimented her with a genuine smile, indicating the comment was not meant to belittle his new partner.

"All thanks to Spencer and her coffee-making skills," she replied as Liam stepped into the hall after her. "And of course for you looking out for me last night. I'm sorry I got so drunk, it was just, well, you know, Ezra."

"Not a problem," he replied as they made their way down to their side-by-side cubicles.

"Oh, good, you're both here!" Jillian exclaimed from the far end of the office. Aria's face dropped when she saw the monster accompanying her boss.

"Hello Aria, it's so good to see you again," Ezra spoke with saccharine sweetness before turning to her partner and deepening his voice threatening, "you must be Liam." Ezra was not happy about the obstacle he faced taking advantage of Aria again; he just couldn't get their night together in Savannah out of his deranged mind.

"Right, good to see you again Ezra," the hair on Liam's back stood up straight hearing Ezra speak almost menacingly to Aria, and it was the second time they met, so Ezra surely remembered him. Jillian hadn't picked up on Ezra's tone in voice, leering gaze at Aria, or condescending greeting of Liam. She was beyond enamored with the man.

"I wasn't expecting to have this meeting so early," Jillian said in reference to Ezra's presence, "but I couldn't turn it down when he got ahold of me this morning. I just gave the assignment to Aria and Liam yesterday," Jillian explained to Ezra, "and we're not really as prepared as I'd like us to be. So this meeting will be fairly brief and general-"

Ezra interrupted. "When Jillian told me she assigned my favorite student to help edit this book I got a bit overzealous and planned an impromptu trip to Boston for a long weekend," he said faking sheepishness.

 _Goddamn he is a smooth liar_ Aria thought bitterly as she tried to not make it obvious she was ignoring Ezra's creepy gaze.

"Well let's give Aria and Liam a minute to put their stuff down and gather their thoughts," Jillian said to Ezra. "Meet us in the conference room in 10 minutes," she directed her gaze to Aria and Liam.

After Ezra and Jillian were out of earshot Aria turned to Liam wide-eyed, "I can't believe we have to face that creep already." She looked on the verge of tears.

"Take a deep breath," Liam whispered as he put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to be there, and I'm ready to tear the guy's head off already. I can't believe how disrespectful he was just now, and unsurprisingly Jillian didn't notice any of it."

"I know, it's hard to tell whose head is further up his ass – Ezra's or Jillian's," Aria managed to make light of the situation, partially because of Liam's presence but mainly because she was still hungover and furious with how Ezra took advantage of her. "I'm really glad you're here and I don't have to face those two alone," Aria said glancing around to make sure no one else was around before she hugged Liam tightly, deeply breathing in his Ralph Lauren Polo cologne. "It's time to face the music I guess."

Aria and Liam gathered up the notes they'd made the previous night before Aria had her breakdown and told Liam everything about Ezra, and headed down to the conference room. Jillian was pleasantly surprised with how prepared her junior editors were, as well as moderately annoyed at how unresponsive Ezra was to their critique. Obviously the success of his first book had gone straight to his head. After an hour and a half of borderline contentious discussion Jillian decided to end the meeting and schedule a follow-up on Monday, before Ezra headed back to Rosewood with his fiancé and son, Maggie and Malcom.

"Well, his head seems to be a lot fuller of hot air this time around," Jillian confided her disappointment in Ezra to Aria and Liam. "It looks like working with this version of Ezra will be an uphill battle compared to the last book."

* * *

Across the Atlantic in Ethiopia, Jason boarded his plane back to New York with Nicole. They considered the idea of getting an apartment together, or rather Nicole had tried to pressure Jason into it, but ultimately decided it would be too soon. There would be a lot of adjustments to be made living back in the U.S. Nicole fully intended on continuing a relationship with Jason, dreamed of a proposal within a few months, but Jason had other intentions. He was planning to surprise Aria when he got back. Though his electronic communications were sparse and distant, he had never been able to stop thinking about her. Things were falling into place with the Carisimi Group's New York office and there was talk about expanding the charity's reach on the East coast. Jason hoped he could lead the expansion into the Boston area, but first he'd have to deal with Nicole.


	5. Spaleb's New Apartment

Thank you for the comments and favorites! ILoveJariaAndJapril27 requested for a Spaleb scene, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Jason DiLaurentis hung up his phone when yet again he heard the iphone operator tell him the voicemail box of the person he was trying to reach was full. He'd been back in the U.S., living with Nicole in New York City, for three weeks. Nicole Francesca had transformed from an opinionated, deep-thinking friend-turned-lover to a superficial Barbie, as if trying to force her southern roots straight through the concrete of the New York jungle. Jason was nearing the end of the little patience he had left of her. His plan was to go along with fantasy in Ethopia to pass the time, despite how guilty he felt, but then separate when the Corps mission was done. However, Nicole refused to go anywhere but with him.

The Carisimi group was doing well, and amidst the unreturned calls, texts and emails to Aria, he had been in close contact with the mayor of Boston. In a few short days he was planning a long weekend in Boston to scope out the available building space and hopefully find Aria. When he reached out to her family and friends all they could say was Aria had gone off the grid for a while to deal with a difficult work client, and offered no help in finding her. It seemed a bit strange that someone would have to go to such extremes to deal with a difficult client, but he knew the Hastings had an unlisted home number to prevent disgruntled clients or offenders from finding them. Little did he know Aria wasn't _just_ dealing with a difficult client, but had a predator without a restraining order back in her picture.

* * *

Meanwhile, back up in Boston….

"Hey Spence, can you come in here for a sec?" Caleb called out across their new apartment from behind the bedroom door, smiling as he heard her groan in protest. They'd been moving and rearranging boxes for what felt like weeks, even though they'd only been in the apartment for a few days.

"Yes honey?" Spencer answered as cheerfully as possible and peered around the corner trying to gauge what sort of major project Caleb had started on. His style of moving was a bit haphazard for Spencer's liking and it had been a stressful morning. And then there was the apartment-warming party due to begin in less than 8 hours. Spencer was only a tad high-strung that morning.

"I found something strange in one of the boxes," he replied with a befuddled expression, holding an old faded blue jewelry box – the kind with a pop-up ballerina that plays music when opened.

"Oooooh," Spencer squealed a bit uncharacteristically, momentarily forgetting about the massive amount of work she had planned for the rest of the morning. "I forgot I had that! Melissa gave that to me for my 8th birthday! I wonder was sort of nonsense I have saved in there."

Caleb took a deep breath as Spencer approached with child-like excitement. He held the nearly-antique jewelry box out so she could examine it, while nervously clutching a smaller box in the left pocket of his hoodie. This was the moment he'd been psyching himself up for all week long. Caleb could hardly believe it'd only been a week since he walked into the boutique with Ted last Saturday, to pick out the perfect piece of jewelry for Spencer. Instead of jewelry, he rather felt as if he was in possession of a ticking time bomb. While Spencer busied herself searching her time capsule for any sort of memorabilia from second grade, Caleb took another deep breath, causing Spencer to glance up at him mildly annoyed for interrupting her trip down memory lane.

"Spence, these past few months in Boston have been amazing, " Caleb began with a concentrated effort to hold his words steady. "Remaining friends when you left D.C. was the right choice at the time, but after you left I had never felt so alone. That's the reason I applied for jobs in Boston, so I could be near you," he continued his speech nervously.

Spencer's attention had been taken fully from the jewelry box as she pondered why Caleb was all of a sudden getting sentimental. He didn't get that way when they'd moved in together in D.C.

Caleb then pulled her in for a hug he whispered "I love you Spence," as he softly kissed her cheek. "You're my best friend and I love spending time with you. In fact I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you too," Spencer replied before Caleb's words had begun to sink in. Then, suddenly, the world stopped turning as she watched Caleb get down on one knee and pull a box out of his pocket. "I'm hoping you'd like to spend the rest of your life with me as well. Spencer Jill Hastings," he said as he opened the box to present an upside-down diamond ring, " you marry me?"

"Yes! Oh my god of course I will!" Spencer squealed again, as Caleb held her left hand and slid on the diamond onto her finger and kissed her hand.

Spencer wrapped her arms around Caleb's neck and brought her lips crashing onto his. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip, coaxing his tongue to dance with hers. Caleb responded swiftly, grabbing her hips and gently sliding his hands up her sides, toying with the waist band of her jeans. Spencer's hands found their way up under Caleb's shirt, and quickly pulled it up over his head to reveal rock-hard abs. Soon all their clothes were scattered across the bedroom floor and Caleb pulled Spencer on to their queen-sized bed. Spencer laid on top of her new fiancé, as she ground her hips to spread her excitement onto his leg and gently fondled his balls. Caleb responded to Spencer's touch with a loud groan, "oh fuck Spence, I won't last much longer if you keep teasing me like that." Spencer just smiled into their kiss as she looked down at the sparkling rock on her hand.

Caleb turned onto his side to get the upper hand on Spencer and began kissing down her neck as he gently pushed her onto her back. When he got to her breasts, he grazed each nipple gently between his teeth while tweaking the other deftly between his fingers. Spencer, powerless to his ministrations, laid back in ecstasy as Caleb continued to move south after he satisfied himself with her breasts. Caleb looked deep into her eyes as he kissed his way down to Spencer's core. He solemnly ran his tongue through her slit from back to front 4 or 5 times with his Saturday morning stubble adding to Spencer's excitement. When he could tell Spencer was about to lose her mind, Caleb focused his attention on her clit. With his tongue working magic on her clit, Caleb inserted a finger to rub her G-spot and bring Spencer screaming over the edge.

After holding his finger in position for a few moments as she rode out her orgasm, Caleb moved up to kiss Spencer. While she caught her breath, Spencer gently began rubbing Caleb's cock. Soon he was on top of her, inside of her, and rocking his hips slowly to allow Spencer to get adjusted. Propped up on one elbow, Caleb softly fingered her sensitive clit as he sensed Spencer's second wind coming on. Spencer tried to keep kissing Caleb, but she could barely hold herself together when Caleb began fucking her with everything he had. He dipped his finger into her wetness to fully lubricate her orgasm button and increased his speed until they reached mutual orgasm.

* * *

On the other side of town, Aria would have rather been anywhere on such a beautiful Saturday morning than sitting inside her favorite coffeeshop sipping a cappuccino as she and Liam worked through some notes, dreading the arrival of Ezra. Aria still couldn't believe that piece of scum was back in her life, and no one she worked with except for Liam knew the truth of their relationship. Aria had asked Jillian more than once to take her off the project, though not in those exact words.

 _"_ _There's probably someone more objective than I, to work on this project," Aria mentioned nervously after their first meeting with Ezra on this second book. "Maybe Sophia?"_

 _"_ _Oh Aria, I know it's probably intimidating to work professionally with a former teacher, but we're all adults here," Jillian replied. "In fact, Ezra values your opinion especially and has requested you remain the lead contact for this project. You can make a name for yourself if you play your cards right." Jillian added a wink at the end of her statement for good measure._

 _Aria hung her head slightly, "Ok, I guess if that's what needs to be done, I'll do it."_

 _"_ _Oh Aria, don't be so dramatic. I think you'll do fine, especially with Liam. You two seem to work very well together, and I'm quite impressed at how professional the both of you are," Liam's good looks did not escape Jillian, despite their age difference._

So there Aria was, ruining a perfectly good Saturday with Liam by meeting with the monster she just could not seem to escape from.

* * *

Not too far away, on the day after meeting with the Boston mayor regarding office space for a new Carisimi chapter, Nicole dragged Jason to a small diner that was set back from the road with an outdoor seating area across from a cute little coffee shop. Jason would have preferred driving back to New York early – he even promised Nicole they could go out to the fancy sushi bar 'd been wanting to go to. When he told Nicole he'd be traveling to Boston for the weekend for work, she insisted on accompanying him. Thanks to her insistence on following him around on his work trip, there had been no way to even begin tracking down his true love. Jason now just wanted to leave before Nicole got too comfortable in this new city. He was already kicking himself for getting involved with her in the first place, and the longer he waited to break things off the harder it would be. But goddamn it, why had Aria been avoiding him? Maybe she was still mad about him leaving for a year? And now, even if he did find Aria, it would be mighty hard to explain Nicole. _Oh, she was just a fling that happened when I missed you_ … _and now she won't go away_. That conversation would certainly not end well.

Jason absent-mindedly ordered a Rueben sandwich with kettle chips while Nicole ordered a chicken sandwich with a half bowl of chow-da. As soon as their waitress left Nicole began to drone on again about how much she _loved_ Boston and couldn't imagine a better place to start their life together. Their food came and went, and though the food wasn't awful, because Jason had zero appetite he didn't really enjoy it.

"So do you want to go tonight?" Nicole asked for the _third_ time, trying to break through the dense fog around her boyfriend's head.

"Back to the city? Yeah, that sounds great," Jason replied, looking up from the credit card slip he was signing.

"No, silly, the party," she replied flirtatiously, as if she hadn't the slightest clue Jason was not really interested in spending time with her anymore.

Jason had no clue what she was talking about. _What sort of party is she imagining_? "What party?" he dutifully asked.

"Don't you remember me telling you about it last night when I got back?" _She_ was _fairly intoxicated when she got back last night,_ Jason remembered.

 _Nicole had left Jason's potential new office Friday afternoon in a huff because he insisted on getting work done for the Carisimi move rather than going out to play all afternoon. As luck would have it, Nicole stumbled upon Barney and Ted at the Skellar that fine afternoon, when Barney had a wicked hankering for Cajun. They spent the afternoon hanging out in the bar flirting shamelessly, but when Barney tried to take Nicole back to his place she demurely said she wouldn't sleep with a guy on the first date. Despite striking out, Barney was on the hook, thinking she was only in town for the weekend, and Nicole was so pissed at Jason she had neglected to mention him._

 _"_ _Our friends just moved in across the hall from me," Ted jumped in, then mentioned an apartment-warming party the next day. "Maybe if you're still in town you can stop by?"_

 _Ted was playing the casual wing-man with a secret intent of getting his own hands on Nicole before Barney did. Nicole certainly seemed more Barney's type – air-headed and ditzy – but she was fun and seemed to be putting on a show for Barney. Ted could tell she had some sort of deep side that she'd buried behind the superficial persona she'd adopted since moving back to the States. Her transformation to holier-than-thou Peace Corps worker irritated Jason to no end, but appealed to Barney, who pretended that beneath the suit he was a like-minded tree-hugger, intent to make the world a better place. Come hell or high water, someone was going to his hands on the not-so-sweet southern belle before the weekend was over._

"Oh, right," Jason responded thoughtfully. "Though if we're planning to stay another day or two I'd like to run back through the numbers I presented to the mayor yesterday and scope out the building space a bit more. You can join me if you like, but it sounds like the party would be more entertaining for you." He tried not to sound like an asshole, considering he was still tied to the girl for the time being, but hoped deep down she'd meet someone else. That would make it easier for him to look like the good guy in the end, and besides, he was hoping for some time alone to find Aria.

"Well if you're sure that's okay with you, I think I'll go to the party. That way I can get to know some people before we move up here," Nicole responded hopefully.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, standing up from the table. As they walked away from the diner, he caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking dark-haired guy walking into the coffee shop across the way and his heart started pounding.

* * *

Aria felt a weight slam down on her chest when she saw Ezra walk into the coffee shop. Liam reached out to gently squeeze Aria's hand, offering reassurance and reminding her she wasn't alone. Because Ezra had decided it would be best for his book to move to Boston, he did so with his girlfriend Maggie and their son Malcom; it was suspicious to no one except Aria and her two confidants, Liam and Spencer.

As she had anticipated, the torment began not long after Ezra moved to Boston. Aria had to change her number, personal email address and delete social media accounts after multiple messages from Ezra. He continued to insist they belonged together – or rather she belonged to him. Maggie, he said, was along to cover their relationship. Ezra tried to convince Aria to engage in another inappropriate relationship because it would be exciting for both of them – he told her the sex would be even better than before. Ezra made a habit of touching her whenever possible during their meetings. Merely brushing up against her arm made Aria squirm, and Ezra found that incredibly exciting. He even went as far as discretely pinching her ass whenever he got the chance. He told her how hot it made him to think of carrying on their secret relationship right under everyone's nose – her boss, her coworker, her roommates, even his other girlfriend and their son. When Aria started getting lewd naked pictures of Ezra she knew she had to change her number. The final straw was the video Ezra sent of him fucking Maggie after she'd passed out from drinking too much. Aria was afraid to tell anyone because Ezra threatened to spin the story that Aria was harassing him, and who would everyone believe? A young editor and former student obsessed with her attractive teacher, or a successful author with a picture-perfect family and a lot to lose? Obviously, he said, the public would believe the (in)famous Ezra Fitz. Aria would just look like a gold-digging whore. Or so he threatened her. She was too afraid to even tell Spencer or Liam – though they certainly had suspicions, neither one had any idea how terrifying it had become for Aria.

Ezra got his coffee and went to sit at the table with Aria and Liam, a little disappointed that Liam, the wall, and the table all stood in the way of his prey. Liam broke the ice as he brought up a section of the new book that he felt the tone was a little unnerving. Ezra's first book, Ostinato, he claimed was about the unchained melody of his relationship he had with a girl in high school, and his follow up book revolved around his idyllic view of what could be viewed by most as a dystopian relationship. He had given vague hints that the subject of his books was the love of his life, presumably Maggie, the girl he'd gotten pregnant in high school and recently reconnected with. Any relationship had its ups and downs, and what he described was a whirlwind of a pushy mother, hush money, a dark secret and finding the light. Liam began to suspect Maggie was nothing but a racket, a relationship front to hide the fact he was harassing a former lover & student, getting his rocks off over it, and making millions selling the book. Liam feared for Aria's well-being and in the week since Spencer moved out of their apartment he had been sleeping at Aria's. The first few nights he stayed on the couch, but Aria's fear of Ezra and the proximity of her daily interactions with him, had pushed her into Liam's comforting arms, and though they were not lovers, she had welcomed him into her bed the past few nights.

Ezra was not inclined to listen to Liam's thinly veiled accusations of his character's predatory nature, and looked to Aria for affirmation that Liam was acting as if he was jealous of the character. Aria stared down at her notes, remembering the last video Ezra had sent her before she changed her number, and tried to blink back tears _. How could he think his superficial kindness, saccharine-sweet voice he used to elicit a positive reaction from her was believable? Because he is Ezra fucking Fitz_ , she thought bitterly.

"You know what," Aria replied, jumping in to the verbal brawl between her coworker and stalker as she continued fighting a losing battle with her tears, "I'm not feeling well today. Can we pick this up Monday? I had a really intense week at work and need some time to clear my mind."

"That sounds like a great idea," Liam quickly agreed.

Ezra looked at Aria with an icy stare but before he could say anything he heard his son yelling out to him. "Hey Dad, Mom's got some great news! I'm gonna be a big brother!"

"Yeah, Monday sounds good," Ezra replied, softening his expression before anyone noticed his threatening stare at Aria. "Besides, it sounds like I've got some great news to celebrate!"

Liam and Aria walked out of the café and headed back to her place. It was only 2 pm, so they had some time to relax before the Spencer and Caleb's apartment-warming part at 6.

* * *

Around 4 pm Aria and Liam walked into the Skellar for a drink before heading up to Spencer & Caleb's. It had taken a long hot shower, a vegan burrito from the Mexican restaurant down the street, and a couple episodes of Cheers to put Aria in the mood for fun after the hellacious meeting they'd had with Ezra. Aria knew Liam was picking up on her higher-than-normal anxiety around Ezra and that he was particularly worried when he'd seen her put her phone down the garbage disposal a few days ago; it was only a matter of time before she told him about Ezra's new abuse.

They saw their group of friends – Robin, Lilly, Sophia, Ted & Marshall sitting at their normal booth in the middle of the room, and after ordering drinks from the bar they joined in the pre-apartment-warming-party party.

"Where's Barney?" Aria asked, as if she didn't expect him to be acting out another outrageous scheme to get laid.

"At church, of course," Robin replied with an extravagant flourish of bringing her hands together and bowing in prayer.

Aria just quirked her eyebrows. This should be good.

"No, really," Sophia replied, unsuccessfully stifling her laughter. "He's been on a Cajun kick apparantly and the best way to find a good southern girl is at the local Baptist church."

"We met some girl Nicole in here yesterday," Ted joined in the conversation. "She just got back to the States from a Peace Corps mission in Ethiopia. Barney's trying to woo her by playing some innocent, peace-loving granola freak, and asked her to go to church with him to meet his father the minister."

"Barney's father is a minister?" Liam asked suspiciously.

"No, not really," Marshall explained. "His half-brother's dad is a minister. Barney's never actually met his dad and he harbors some crazy delusion that Bob Barker is his father."

Liam had no response other than shaking his head in amusement. Of course Barney thought Bob Barker was his father.

Around 6, everyone left the bar to head up to Spencer & Caleb's new digs. As soon as Aria brought the bottle of champagne to Spencer, the one Carl had been nice enough to keep on ice for her behind the bar at the Skellar, she saw the humongous diamond on Spencer's hand.

"Oh my God, Spence!" she shrieked, practically pulling Spencer onto the ground with her over-zealous reaction to the sparkly new jewelry on Spencer's hand. "Congratulations, I'm soooo excited for you! That ring is beautiful!"

"You're welcome," Ted interjected loudly, drawing surprised looks from the crowd before explaining, "I went ring-shopping with Caleb last weekend."

"Well you have fantastic taste," Sophia complemented as she too admired the diamond on Spencer's hand.

"Congrats, man," Marshall clapped Caleb on the back as Ted shook his hand.

"Let's pop the bubbly," Lilly said excitedly from the group of women now huddled around Spencer, admiring her ring and hugging her. "Why don't you do the honors, Caleb? You could ask Marshall to do it, but he'd break a window or give someone a black eye," Lilly added referencing some inside joke about an anniversary celebration of theirs gone awry.

"Sounds like a great idea, can you grab some cups, Ted?" Caleb responded. They'd just moved in and didn't exactly have a plethora of fancy glassware so Spencer had picked up some high-quality plastic drinkware for the evenings shenanigans.

Caleb poured while Ted passed the cups around. One bottle of champagne divided by 9 people didn't allow for high volume drinks, but enough for a toast.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Caleb began. "To our new apartment and my beautiful fian-"

"Don't worry kids," Barney interrupted as he made his self-aggrandized entrance escorting Jason DiLaurentis' girlfriend. "The fun has arrived!"

"…ce'." Caleb mumbled. Everyone else just stood awkwardly by, not sure how to proceed.

"Ooooh, champagne," Nicole spoke with a coy smile. "I guess your friends really _were_ waiting for us to get here."

"You weren't really thinking of starting the celebration without us, were you?" Barney asked with mock hurt in his voice, staring at the dumbfounded crowd and wondering where _his_ champagne was.

"Actually, Barney," Ted used his scolding voice. "You're late, and we're celebrating Caleb and Spencer's engagement."

"Well I never," Barney began theatrically, "we've been at church like good Christians." Ted just rolled his eyes.

"Cheers to the hosts," Marshall bellowed over Barney's antics. Everyone with champagne raised their cup before downing it like a shot.

"Who's your friend, Barney," Lilly asked with disgust, to get the elephant out of the room and ignore the little tart. Hopefully Barney was just here to parade the dumb bitch around before taking her back to her hotel, or alley, or wherever.

"This is Nicole Francesca," Barney began his overly-grandiose introduction. "She has just returned from a Peace Corps mission in Ethiopia."

Aria froze. Could this be the Nicole Jason spent so much time with?

"Spencer, wasn't Jason in Ethiopia?" Aria was almost too afraid to ask, not wanting to know this was the girl Jason had forgotten her over, and not wanting to let her true feelings for Jason show. Nobody in the room except Aria knew about her relationship with or deep love for Jason DiLaurentis.

"Ooooh, Jason DiLaurentis?" Nicole asked excitedly.

Aria nodded in despair, "he's Spencer's half-brother."

"Of course I know Jason! He didn't tell me his sister lived here – if I had known maybe I could've dragged him out with me tonight!" Nicole said excitedly before turning wistful. "He's sooo bogged down with getting his charity off the ground in Boston he barely has any time for me."

Ted and Barney turned their heads so fast they practically got whiplash. _This sneaky bitch has a boyfriend?_

"Oh, you're dating my brother?" Spencer asked, head reeling from all the excitement of the day.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We were on the same mission in Ethiopia, and when we were done he asked me to move to New York with him," Nicole said, clueless as to the sudden interest in her boyfriend. "But once we got back State-side he turned a bit of a cold shoulder on me. I think it's just due to work stress.

"Where in New York do you guys live?" Aria asked as she poured herself a drink. Despite the hurt, she had to know what Jason was up to.

"We're kind of in the Hell's Kitchen area," Nicole was actually quite clueless as to where they lived, but she knew how locals referred to the area and wanted to sound like she knew everything about it. "But we're moving up here to Boston soon. Jason's charity group has grown so much over the past year they are looking to branch out. I can't wait to get out of NYC, the air is so much fresher up here!"

Aria took a huge gulp of the vodka soda she'd just poured and started choking when she heard Nicole say they were moving to Boston. _What the fuck is she talking about, the air is fresher?_ Having Ezra around made it hard enough to breathe, what was she gonna do when the love of her life and his bimbo girlfriend moved to Boston?

"Oh hey," Liam was by her side instantly. "Are you ok?"

Aria nodded behind reddened cheeks as she fought to stifle her cough and hide the sudden sickness she felt. When Liam reached behind her to rub her back gently she leaned her head into his shoulder and whispered "thank you," quiet enough nobody could hear it.

"Barney's told me all about his job working for the NRDC, all the work he's doing to preserve the environment," Nicole began, enjoying everyone's attention. "What do the rest of you do?"

"I'm a kindergarten teacher," Lilly said.

"News anchor for Channel 1," Robin added.

"Architect professor, but you already know that," Ted said with a seductive smile, which looked absolutely ridiculous to everyone else.

"Law school," Marshall and Spencer said in unison.

"Information Technology," Caleb said.

"Aria, Sophia and I work for Umbrella Publishing," Liam added.

"Umbrella Publishing," Nicole replied quizzically. "Why does that sound familiar? Oh, I think Jason told me his sister's friend got a job there."

"That would be me," Aria managed weakly, almost shamefully.

"Is it true then, about you and Ezra Fitz? Did you really date the guy when he was your English teacher?" Nicole asked excitedly. "I'd bang him if he was my English teacher, god he's fucking hot."

Aria felt sick to her stomach.

"Oh my god Aria, you never told me you fucked Fitz!" Sophia interjected excitedly, certainly feeling her at least 5th Captain & Diet. "Is it awkward working with him now? Especially with that smokin' hot girlfriend he's got. Maggie I think her name is? Hot damn, I get in bed with both of 'em if I had the chance."

 _Well this is getting awkward_ , Aria thought, wishing she could just melt into the floor. Sophia's sexual prowess only came out when they were really drunk.

"Are you two still fucking, then?" Nicole asked bluntly.

"Hey, who wants a tour of the apartment?" Spencer jumped in quickly to save her friend.

"Nah, I'm good. I assume it looks just like Ted and Marshall's place," Barney said, enjoying the awkward conversation. "I want to hear more of Aria's love life and Sophia's bisexual bed-time stories."

Spencer glared at Barney as Caleb walked over and grabbed his arm to lead him through the living room.

"The furniture and art work is different here," Caleb growled at Barney as he pulled him along the impromptu apartment tour.

Spencer then turned to see the pain in Aria's face and she was downing another glass of vodka with only a splash of soda. After Caleb pulled Barney and Nicole away, Nicole refused to give up Barney's arm despite his attempts to escape, Spencer walked over to Aria and Liam.

"Do you want to go back downstairs to escape the awkwardness for a bit? After a few drinks I'm sure they'll find something else to talk about," Spencer asked gently.

Aria struggled to nod her head, as if the pain in her eyes was much too heavy to handle. With that, Liam offered his arm to Aria and Spencer took Aria's other hand in hers to lead her down the stairs. On their way out Spencer texted Caleb to let him know they were leaving. Presumably Caleb also knew about Ezra's abuse by now, and that Nicole's insensitive comments struck a raw nerve. Nobody knew the real pain Aria felt arose from Nicole's mention of Jason DiLaurentis.

Back down at the bar, Carl the bartender was a bit surprised to see Aria back already. Carl was a bit of a meat head on the outside, but had a soft heart and a particular interest in the tiny brunette escorted by her two friends.

"What the hell happened in the 30 minutes she was upstairs?" Carl asked Spencer and Liam somewhat accusingly when he saw the tears in Aria's eyes.

"She's had a rough week," Spencer began, "and that bimbo Barney brought upstairs struck a raw nerve and we had to get her out of there before she started drinking straight from the bottle of vodka."

Carl nodded in understanding. Aria was adorable and tons of fun but things could get ugly when she pushed her low alcohol tolerance. He poured a couple beers for Spencer and Liam then a Shirley Temple with extra cherries for Aria.

"Thank you, Carl," she said smiling shyly at the bartender. "I love extra cherries."

A couple hours later, Spencer decided she needed to head back up to her party, and Liam decided it was time to take Aria home.

"Sophia is going to be nervous when we don't return, but you can just tell her Aria isn't feeling well and I'll let her know when I get her home," Liam told Spencer as he guided their petite brunette friend towards the door.

"Ok, let me know when you get home too," Spencer said. "And take care of my friend," she added unnecessarily, waving to Liam and Aria.

As Liam and Aria reached the climbed the steps up to the street from the Skellar, Jason DiLaurentis arrived at the adjacent steps that led up to the apartment Spencer & Caleb had just moved into. Nicole had called him to tell him she was at his sister's place, celebrating her engagement to Caleb, and though he knew it would be awkward to see Aria with Nicole attached to his arm, he had to see her again after all the time they'd been apart. Jason needed better a picture of Aria than the last memory he had of her sobbing on the floor in the Philadelphia airport before he left to go to Ethiopia. He was certainly not expecting to see Aria stumbling up the steps with some other guy, and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Aria?" he asked, hoping Liam was not a serious boyfriend.

Aria turned to the sound of Jason's voice, as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh hi Jason, if you're looking for your sister and your girlfriend they're up in apartment 3B."

"I'm Liam," Liam shook Jason's hand. "Aria's had a bad week and Nicole struck on a raw nerve when she brought up Ezra Fitz. I'm going to make sure she gets home safely, but everyone's having a good time upstairs." Liam had no clue he'd just witnessed the first interaction in over a year between lovers torn apart by unfortunate circumstances.

* * *

Soooo…..Spencer & Caleb are now engaged. Liam is practically living with Aria. Ezra is with Maggie again and continues to be a predatory creep towards Aria. Nicole is a cheap floosey, and somewhat delusional. How will the relationships evolve when Jason & Nicole move to Boston?

Thank you all for reading – I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me a review if you have the time – I know it seems like every writer says this, but – it is _really_ encouraging. Also, feel free to drop an idea you'd like to see incorporated!


	6. The Morning After

Sunday morning Aria woke up with red puffy eyes, after crying herself to sleep with her head on Liam's chest. Liam assumed the tears were due to Ezra, and all the attention Aria got after Nicole brought up the subject of Ezra Fitz. Aria's world was crashing down around her and she was practically drowning in the rubble.

"Thank you for staying with me again," Aria looked up at Liam's green eyes staring down affectionately at her.

"It's no problem," Liam replied. "The whole situation is just awful, and Nicole was completely tactless," he shook his head remembering the previous night's interactions with the bimbo.

Liam gently lifted Aria's chin with his fingers and planted a kiss full on her luscious lips. Aria's eyes briefly widened in surprise as she got butterflies in her stomach when she leaned into Liam's kiss. Their lips lingered briefly in unison before Liam leaned back to assess her response. Aria reached her hands around Liam in the biggest bear hug she could muster before laying her head back on his chest with a contented sigh.

"I hope that wasn't inappropriate," Liam spoke softly as he combed his hands through Aria's silky hair. Spencer was always baffled by how Aria never had a case of bed-head.

"No, Liam," Aria replied. "I've had a crush on you for a while now, but don't want you to get any more tangled up in the situation with Ezra. He kind of broke me. Besides, you know how Jillian is about inter-office relationships."

Since Aria broke the relationship ice, Liam decided to dip his toes into the water. "Was Ezra the last guy you dated?"

 _Uh oh_ , Aria thought. She'd never told anybody about Jason, for fear of upsetting Spencer but also for fear it would break the fairytale spell. Aria held onto hope that one day she and Jason would be together, but as the days turned to weeks and then months between communications with him she felt the story was maybe over before it had even started. Their month or so together around Charlotte's trial was kind of like the prologue to a story the writer had lost interest in.

"Well, there was a guy I dated briefly before moving to Boston, but things didn't really work out," she replied, not going into detail for fear of more tears. Liam had assumed the previous night's tears were from Nicole going on about Ezra, but if she sobbed now he might put together the pieces that Jason was actually her long-lost love.

"Well, there's no pressure to jump into a relationship," Liam said. "I know how stressful it is to work with Ezra, and I don't want to complicate things either. It's just that I'm finding it harder and harder to control myself around you."

"Let's just see how it goes," Aria replied as she coyly turned her face back to Liam.

He responded by hungrily pulling her lips to his. Aria responded favorably, offering her tongue as she rolled herself onto Liam. Desperately she ground her core into Liam's growing erection. Things were escalating quickly. Seeing Jason the previous night had awakened her sexual desire, the very yearning she hadn't felt since he left her on the floor of the Philadelphia airport. _Maybe this was wrong?_ Aria had been celibate since Jason left, taking care of herself when absolutely necessary, but she always felt guilty afterwards. Then she remembered Nicole, and took out the previous year's frustration on Liam's throbbing cock.

* * *

Spencer and Caleb spent the majority of Sunday morning in bed celebrating their engagement, as well as putting off cleaning up after the party. Robin and Ted had been nice enough to clean up after the majority of the previous night's shenanigans, but there was still a bit of deep-cleaning to do, let alone finish unpacking.

Around 11:30 Spencer rolled off Caleb for about the 4th time, and put on a pink silky robe. Caleb groaned as he got out of bed too, throwing on last night's jeans and a clean white t-shirt.

After Spencer's necessary minimum of 3 cups of coffee, she suggested to Caleb they video chat with her parents to give them the good news.

"Whom do you think we should call first?" Spencer asked, referring to either of her divorced parents, as Caleb didn't have any family to speak of.

"How 'bout your dad?" Caleb suggested.

"Really?" Spencer asked incredulously, wondering what kind of crack Caleb was smoking that made him think Peter Hastings would be the best first place to break the news.

"Yeah, of course. Isn't it kind of tradition to make sure a man gets permission from his would-be fiancé's father before proposing?" Caleb responded.

"Well, it's a bit too late to ask for permission now, isn't it?" Spencer asked.

"I talked to him last Sunday when you were out studying for your exam," Caleb replied. "He wanted to be the first to know."

"It's too late for that too – all our friends know," Spencer snarked, not looking forward to speaking with her father. Things had gotten ugly after the senate race when Veronica had to turn down the position thanks to Peter's previous infidelities and the political shitstorm threatening her power.

"Spencer, I know you're still mad at your dad, but you should give him another chance. He was there for you growing up, and you mean the world to him," Caleb spoke convincingly.

Spencer knew Caleb was right, she couldn't stay mad at her dad forever. With a sigh she opened her computer, and was about to log on to skype when Caleb reminded her she was not dressed to be video-chatting with her family.

After dressing properly, Spencer rang her father, who accepted the chat request immediately. Peter Hasting's face, plastered with a huge smile, filled the screen.

"Whoa dad, remember you don't have to be inches from the camera to video chat. It's actually quite disturbing. I can see your nose hairs," Spencer joked. She had been avoiding her father for nearly a year, but it felt good to see him and joke around again. Spencer was surprised at how much she'd missed her father.

"Ha ha Spence. It's so good to see your face again," Peter continued smiling, just waiting for the good news he knew to be coming. "How's school going? Anything big news from Boston?"

Spencer held up her left hand to display her ring with a shy smile. Something in her father's face reminded her of how in love she'd been with her father as a little girl; she missed those times.

"Well, I got this piece of jewelry yesterday and I'm hoping you'll be available to walk me down the aisle when Caleb and I get married," Spencer said with tears in her eyes, suddenly feeling very sentimental and nervous.

"Congratulations, Spence. I would love to walk you down the aisle," Peter replied before turning to Caleb "congratulations to you too, that ring is beautiful."

"Thanks Mr. Hastings, our friend Ted helped me pick it out."

"Please, you're practically family now, call me Peter," Mr. Hastings replied.

"So how are things in Philly, dad?" Spencer asked.

"Busy, I gave up individual law practice and work for a large pharmaceutical company now. The work is challenging, there's so much to know and learn, but it keeps me out of trouble," her dad replied. "Well I'm sure you kids have a bunch of other calls to make so I don't want to keep you too long. I've been thinking about planning a visit to Boston soon, and now I have even more reason. Love you two, congrats again!"

"Bye dad, love you too!" Spencer replied.

"Bye Peter, thanks again," Caleb said as the screen went dark.

"Wow, that was so much easier than I thought it would be!" Spencer exclaimed when the call was over. "I'm so glad we called, I didn't realize how much I miss my dad. I guess my mom is next?"

Veronica also picked up the skype call immediately, but was poised at a reasonable distance from the camera. "Melissa, honey, your sister is calling," Veronica turned her head to yell towards the guest room of her apartment in Harrisburg. Though she'd turned down the senate position, she still moved to the state capital to work as a legal aide for Governor Tom Wolf. Shortly Melissa was seated next to her mother on the couch looking suspiciously at her sister's left hand on Caleb's knee. Melissa never approved of their relationship, assuming Spencer had stolen her best friend's boyfriend the way she'd stolen Melissa's boyfriends and fiancé.

"Hi mom, hi Melissa!" Spencer's excitement at how well her father took the news spilled into what was to be a difficult conversation.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Hastings, Melissa," Caleb said nervously. "Spencer & I have some news to share."

"Oh my god, Spencer Jill Hastings," Veronica began viciously, "you'd better not be pregnant! You've got a career ahead of you and I don't want your little fling with Caleb to ruin your future."

"Mom, it's not that," Melissa interjected dryly, pointing at Spencer's hand on Caleb's knee.

"I'm not pregnant mom, Caleb & I got engaged yesterday," Spencer said defensively.

"Oh honey, that's great," Veronica softened her demeanor. "Congratulations."

"Have you told Hanna yet?" Melissa asked, adding the bitterness her mother had dropped to her own disgust. Though she now realized it was Alison who had broken up her and Ian, she never forgave Spencer for breaking up her engagement to Wren.

"For god sakes Melissa," Spencer yelled defensively, "Wren kissed me! I did not go sneaking around behind your back, _he_ came on to _me!_ "

"Well then I guess congratulations are in order," Melissa replied coldly. "I wish you both the best."

"Melissa, there's no need to be snide to your sister," Veronica mildly scolded. "This is one of the happiest days of her life."

"Right, sorry Spence," Melissa replied with not even a semblance of apology. "When's the big day?"

"Well we just got engaged yesterday," Spencer replied curtly. "I haven't been planning some sort of fantasy wedding my entire life, so we don't have anything decided yet."

"Does your father know?" Veronica asked. Though she was not a fan of Caleb, she knew he made her daughter happy but was worried about how poorly her ex-husband would react.

"I just spoke with dad, and he was over-the-moon excited," Spencer said dejectedly. She couldn't believe how horribly this call was going. _Just goes to show how fucked up my family is_ , she thought. "I was really nervous to tell dad, but I didn't think I'd get such a cold response from you."

The call ended abruptly when Melissa stood up and slammed the laptop closed. "Where the hell did she get the nerve to show off how happily engaged she is after she broke up Wren and me?"

* * *

"I cannot believe them!" Spencer yelled through fresh tears after her sister abruptly ended the call. "Why does she have to make everything about her?"

Caleb wrapped his fiancé in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Shh, Spence," he spoke calmly, "it'll be ok. She's probably just stressed out, you know how high-strung the Hastings can be."

Despite herself Spencer began laughing through her tears. Caleb was right. The entire family had type A personalities, and frequently clashed. It was probably too much to hope that all of her family members would be capable of showing genuine enthusiasm for her.

"I guess I probably should call Hanna," Spencer was not excited to tell her friend she was now engaged to her ex-boyfriend.

"How about we go get you something to eat first?" Caleb suggested, sensing Spencer's hangriness.

"That's a good idea," she replied. "I'm going to see if Aria wants to get brunch. Oh, and maybe Jason."

"Only if he doesn't bring that floozy bitch with him – Aria will tear her throat out," Caleb gently reminded Spencer of the scene they'd witnessed less than 12 hours ago.

"Fine," Spencer huffed. "I really want to see Jason though so I'm going to call him while you get ready."

Forty-five minutes later Spencer and Caleb walked into their favorite brunch place and waved to Aria and Liam, who'd reserved a table for them next to the big front window. Caleb pulled Spencer's chair out like the perfect gentleman and she kissed his cheek as she sat down.

"Jason should be here any minute," Spencer announced. "Without Nicole," she finished as Aria shot daggers through Spencer with her eyes.

Before the last sentence was out of her mouth, Jason walked through the door and began scanning the room. Caleb stood up and waved him over, standing up to shake his hand when Jason arrived. Aria stared at the menu in front of her, the one she knew by heart, to avoid making any sort of eye contact with Jason. She knew if their gazes met she'd be reduced to tears yet again, and she just didn't' have the energy to cry anymore. Guilt from her morning with Liam ambushed her mind and she began to feel nauseous.

"Hey Aria," Jason said when he sat down, worried to see his former lover looking so forlorn. "I'm sorry about Nicole. I heard she brought up your past with Ezra last night."

"Yeah, there was that," Aria mumbled, still avoiding eye contact with Jason. Though it had only been about a year since they were together it seemed like an eternity. Like she didn't even know this guy that was sitting across the table from her.

When the waiter arrived to take their drink orders, he poured a glass of ice water for each of the patrons at table number 11. Aria took one sip then sat up abruptly and ran towards the bathroom. Everyone else at the table looked at each other trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

"I'll go check on her," Spencer said, excusing herself to the bathroom next.

When she walked into the canary-yellow 3-stall bathroom and heard her small friend throwing up. Spencer walked into the stall behind Aria and lovingly held her hair back. After two more gut-wrenching hurls, Aria was empty. _Really empty_ , she thought.

"Are you feeling okay?" _that was a dumb question_ Spencer thought, _of course she's not feeling ok._ "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't even know where to begin," Aria mumbled in despair, now sitting on the cold checkered linoleum floor of the women's restroom with her head between her knees. " Ezra's back in the picture without a restraining order and he's making my life a living hell. It's worse than before. He's very discrete and threatening to ruin my career if I don't keep quiet. I haven't told anyone, not even Liam."

"Oh Aria," Spencer replied as she reached down to pull her petite friend off the cold floor. "Keeping that to yourself drove you mad before. You were broken when I moved to Boston, and I don't want to see that happen again."

Once on her feet, Aria managed to walk herself to the sink. There she splashed cold water onto her face and rinsed the vomit taste from her mouth. Aria saw the broken girl she had been in Savannah, the one Jason DiLaurentis had brought back to life. Then he left for Ethiopia and Aria started crumbling again. That time she was saved by Spencer. But then Ezra returned. And now Jason. With Nicole. Aria's head was spinning out of control and she felt the familiar twinges of panic setting in.

"You should probably let Liam know what's going on," Spencer spoke gently. "He really cares about you."

"I know I should, but I'm scared," Aria replied. "I'm afraid of Ezra spreading lies that _I'm_ the one stalking _him_. He told me no one would believe me – that I'd be seen as troubled former student trying to turn her attractive former teacher into her sugar daddy. Besides, I don't want to get too close to Liam. I don't have a strong enough heart to have it broken again."

"I think you should give Liam a chance," Spencer said tentatively. "You shouldn't let Ezra's abuse prevent you from being happy with someone else. Besides, Liam adores you, and you guys are perfect for each other."

"There is no such thing as a perfect couple," Aria said angrily through fresh tears. Tears brought on from seeing Jason. From guilt after her morning with Liam. "Someone _always_ gets hurt. It's been years and I'm still paying for falling in love with that Asshole I now have to work with."

"Well Sweetie, you can't use Ezra as an example," Spencer said. "Besides, I just got engaged, so hopefully _I_ won't be heartbroken."

Aria managed a brief smile through her tears. "I didn't mean you, Spence. Just me. The Universe just does not want me to be happy."

"Again Aria, you can't use Ezra as a general rule. Unless there's some other guy you've kept hidden," Spencer joked, but stopped herself before she mentioned the secrecy of her relationship with Ezra.

"Well, uhm," Aria began slowly as Spencer raised her eyebrows. "I did date someone for about a month when we were in Rosewood for Charlotte's trial, before I moved up here. "

Spencer froze. _Maybe that's why Jason called her from Ethiopia to suggest she consider Boston for law school, to "get away from Toby."_

"We did notice you were gone a lot," Spencer said slowly, suspiciously. Then added, "but truth be told we thought you were getting back together with Ezra. Did this other person break your heart too? Even if you were only together a short time?"

"It was intense. It was the happiest month of my life," Aria replied.

"But…." Spencer coaxed.

"Our lives were heading in different directions," Aria continued with a sigh. She did not want to be having this heart-to-heart with Spencer in the middle of a brightly-lit canary-yellow bathroom. "My world came crashing down when he left me crying on the floor in the Philadelphia airport before going off to Ethiopia," Aria looked at the ground in shame. "I'm in love with your brother Spence, and he broke my heart."

Before Spencer could formulate a response there was a knock on the door. "Spence, Aria, everything OK in there?" they heard Caleb ask.

"Uh yeah, we're fine," Aria replied with a slight croak in her voice. "Be out in a few moments."

"Aria, I'm so sorry," Spencer whispered softly as she pulled her petite friend in for a hug. "You'll get through this. I am here for you no matter what." _How the hell am I supposed to respond to that?_

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the restaurant Jason is caught between a rock and a hard place. _What the hell happened to Aria?_

"So, Liam, we haven't had a chance to talk. How long have you and Aria been dating?" Jason tried to sound casual.

"Oh, uhm, we're just coworkers actually," Liam replied, still reeling from his intimate morning with Aria but not wanting to spill that information. "I'm helping her with the editing of Ezra's new book."

"Oh yeah, how's that working? I'm sure Aria's thrilled to be on the project. Despite all the chatter and whispers, she did have a good student-teacher relationship with him," Jason lied. "He was kind of her mentor."

"I have noticed some of her earlier writing shared quite a bit of similarity to Fitz's style, but after her junior year at SCAD she changed her tone quite a bit. Have you had a chance to read much of her work?" Liam replied.

"Not really," Jason said. "She was kind of shy around me, being her friend's big brother, and well her other friend's half-brother. The DiLaurentis tree is kinda gnarly."

"Did you hear if Aria and Fitz kept in touch while she was in Savannah?" Caleb casually asked Jason. He could tell something was up by the way Jason was sniffing around the Aria-Ezra topic and didn't want things to get ugly. Caleb knew Liam had been staying at Aria's since he and Spencer moved out. It was only a matter of time before Liam and Aria couldn't resist each other. The sexual tension between them could be cut with a knife.

"No, we didn't talk much after she left for college. I'd get an occasional drunk text from her, but nothing serious," Jason was walking on thin ice. "I ran into her at the Brew one night before Charlotte's trial started but it was just small talk."

Jason watched suspiciously as Caleb and Liam shared a "look." Jason was clueless, and it was beginning to sound as if he might once have a thing for Aria. Liam felt a pang of jealousy.

"For what it's worth, Aria is definitely not into Fitz," Liam defensively. "He's kind of turned into a colossal ass-hat after the success of his first book. This one is some sort of dystopian fantasy of what I would consider a deranged stalker. But of course Ezra tells me I just don't get it."

"Oh, I thought it was a tale of how he created a beautiful life with some long-lost love," Jason replied, half-sarcastically and mildly confused.

Things were getting fairly heated. Caleb stood up before he spilled the beans on Ezra's stalking – it wasn't his place. "I better go see if everything is alright in there."

* * *

After a relatively non-eventful brunch, Jason hugged Spencer good-bye, shook Caleb's and Liam's hands and gently rubbed Aria's shoulder to break her staring contest with the concrete sidewalk. Caleb had to head into work to get caught up on a couple of new programs he was working on. Liam headed home to do laundry and pick up fresh clothes to bring to Aria's. Spencer hooked her arm in with Aria and excitedly suggested video-chatting with Hanna and Emily to give them the good news.

"So," Spencer began when they were out of earshot from the guys. "Jason?"

"Yeah, well you know I always had a thing for him when we were younger," Aria replied. "Then when I ran into him one night in the brew, we just started casually talking. It was the first time I genuinely forgot about the monster on my back."

"There's no need to be embarrassed," Spencer consoled her. "Besides, I'd love to have you as a sister! I mean you practically already are."

Aria leaned her head into Spencer's shoulder and smiled. "But what about that peace-loving freak he's got wrapped around his neck?" she asked, when reality came back.

"Honestly, I don't think Jason gives two shits about that girl anymore," Spencer told Aria. "She spent most of last night hanging on Jason's arm for show as she flirted mercilessly with Ted and Barney. Jason just shook it off, pretending she only acts that way when she's drunk."

"Well she doesn't deserve someone like Jason," Aria said somewhat huffily. "And Jason deserves so much better."

"I agree," Spencer replied as she opened the door to walk into her apartment building.

"I'll race you!" Aria yelled as she abounded towards the stairs.

Spencer waited a moment, shaking her head, before sprinting up the stairs two at a time to plow Aria into the door to her apartment, arriving just a moment later than her small friend. Aria felt some of the weight that had been bearing down on her chest in recent days evaporate as she sat on the floor giggling uncontrollably with Spencer.

"Aria," Spencer got on one knee and dramatically grabbed Aria's hand. "Will you be my maid of honor?" she asked with the biggest doe eyes she could muster.

"Of course Spence!" Aria replied. "I would love to!"

"Yayyy! Thanks Ar," Spencer stood up and bear-hugged Aria. "Now let's go call Hanna and Em. We should probably call Hanna first." Spencer then explained how poorly the call had gone with her mother and sister right before brunch.

"God," Aria replied, "Melissa is such a bitch. You don't have anything to worry about with Hanna. I think the bigger problem with be between Emily and Alison."

Spencer offered Aria a diet Coke before opening her laptop to video-call Hanna. The blond fashion mogul answered the call on the third ring, wearing a humongous smile and sounding a bit out-of-breath.

"Uhm, did we catch you in the middle of something?" Spencer asked somewhat incredulously. What the hell kind of physical activity could Hanna possibly be in the middle of on a Sunday morning?

"Oh, no, I was just laughing at Em. She managed to spill her entire cup of coffee down her favorite beige long-sleeve shirt." Hanna turned the computer so Spencer and Aria could see a bewildered Emily standing in the doorway, in only a bra and jeans, holding a coffee-stained shirt and presumably empty mug.

"Dammit Hanna," Emily said playfully behind a huge grin, "turn the camera around and toss me one of your shirts."

Hanna refused, so Emily helped herself to a zip-up hoodie draped over the back of Hanna's desk chair. "Hey guys," Em's face popped in front of the camera. "How's Boston treating you? Aria, you shacking up with Fitz again?" Emily joked, not knowing the truth.

Aria's face fell immediately and Spencer interjected. "Fitz is a washed-up piece of shit that doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as Aria, but that's not why we called." Spencer wriggled the fingers on her left hand to capture the pair of Rosewood friends' attention.

"Oh my god, congratulations Spence!" then as an aside, " Caleb's taste in jewelry has certainly improved, I'm impressed," Hanna said, genuinely happy for her friend.

"That's beautiful Spence, I'm really happy for you," Emily said sounding slightly upset. "I guess you heard about what happened between Ali and me?"

"Yeah, Em. Hanna told me," Spencer replied. "How are you doing?"

"Well considering she shattered my life and won't let me see my own kids," Emily spat bitterly. "I'm fan-fucking-tastic."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Spencer continued.

Emily prepared to be ripped apart for cheating on Alison. "In my defense, she was a controlling bitch. Remember junior high? It was like that, but worse. I waited on her hand-and-foot, working my ass off to keep things together when she was pregnant, and she wanted nothing to do with me. _It's the hormones,_ she'd say condescendingly. Our relationship was not as beautiful on the inside as everyone thought. Like we were supposed to be in some magical bliss when we got engaged. Alison used that ring as a noose. Fuck her."

Aria and Spencer stared, dumbfounded. _What the hell happened to sweet Emily?_ they thought in unison.

Emily sat down on the bed, now fully clothed, next to Hanna, who put a friendly arm around her shoulders. "So what kind of wedding are you thinking of having, Spence?"

"I haven't put too much thought into it yet, but I definitely want you to be part of it. Aria is going to be my maid of honor, and I'd like you two to be bridesmaids."

"Isn't your sister supposed to be the maid of honor?" Hanna asked.

"Uhm, no. Fuck Melissa. I don't even want to invite her," Spencer spat angrily. "She pretty much called me a conniving slut this morning when I gave her and my mom the news."

"Oh Spence, no need to worry about me," Hanna replied, knowing the angle Melissa was using to torment her sister. "Caleb and I grew apart. We're different people now, and we want different things." Spencer and Aria did not notice the brief shared moment when Hanna caught Emily's gaze and smiled.

"Okay, so now that's settled," Hanna continued. "We need to start planning. Engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette party. You girls are going to be booked solid until Spencer's wedding." Hanna loved planning extravagant events.

* * *

a/n: Ok, so I think I am making this too complicated, as per usual. I had planned on having the engagement party as part of this chapter, but my mania took over and decided to throw a curve ball. I'm not sure how I feel about the opening scene with Aria & Liam. Sleeping with Liam is something else Aria will hold in and struggle with. Basically she is a basket-case of emotion right now. Working with Ezra has pushed her back into a dark place, and seeing Jason with Nicole was too much to handle. Let me know what you think!


	7. Return to Rosewood

Hey Everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hit a patch of writer's block thanks to my bad habit of making stories way too complicating and then get overwhelmed trying to keep details straight. Thank you to all the new followers – you have encouraged me to continue. Here we go….there's finally some Jaria in this chapter…I hope you like it!

"Aria, OH MY GOD!" Spencer squealed excitedly as she watched Aria and Liam approach Caleb's car hand-in-hand in the late afternoon sun. It was late fall, the air was brisk, the foliage a beautiful tapestry of color. Caleb caught Liam's attention and rolled his eyes behind Spencer's back. Liam chuckled and set his duffle bag of clothes on the sidewalk to shake his friend's hand.

"Hey Spence!" Aria perked up when she saw her friend, as if they hadn't spent almost every free waking moment together since Spencer's engagement. Aria's cool, level-headed friend was gradually morphing into a crazed bridezilla.

Lined up in a car behind Caleb's was the Skellar crew/Spencer & Caleb's neighbors. Marshall was driving, Ted in the passenger seat, Lilly behind Marshall, Robin behind Ted and Barney snuggled tightly between Robin and Lilly in the back seat. The two couples were getting packed up to head to Rosewood for an official engagement party for Spencer and Caleb. Ashley Marin had reserved the private bar area that had been recently added on to the existing luxury hotel.

As Liam and Aria piled into the back seat of Caleb's beat-up Subaru, Spencer turned to face them. "I absolutely LOVE your hair Aria. It's so retro – I miss that Aria." Aria had gotten her naturally black hair evenly highlighted with dark bluish-purple and burgundy-red streaks. The highlights gave the appearance of a shimmering night sky. Perfectly placed rhinestone bobby pins appeared as stars.

"You look fantastic Aria," Caleb complimented.

"I know, right?" Liam chimed in with a big grin, catching Aria's brown eyes in pure adoration. "You should have heard Ezra this morning, though. He lit into Aria because she's critiquing his latest chapter and I think he's taking personal offense."

"How so?" Spencer asked, concerned for her friend's well-being. As soon as Liam mentioned Ezra's name Spencer saw her petite friend's face fall slightly and shoulders tense up a bit.

"He told me I looked juvenile. That I reminded him of the high school version of myself that was stalker-obsessed with him," Aria explained as she looked down, shaking her head. "He asked if I was returning home to relive my 'glory days.' How the hell does he even know I'm leaving?"

"I didn't say anything," Liam began tentatively. "Jillian, however, told him we'd be out of town this weekend and not available for a meeting. Then she casually mentioned we'd be going to a friend's engagement party."

Jillian observed how professional Aria and Liam worked together, and though there were rumors they were a couple, she didn't buy it. Jillian had almost supernatural powers to see through Aria's façade. She knew Aria was going through something and needed someone to lean on. Also, Liam was the only candidate Aria would work with on Ezra's project. Jillian did, however, pick up on something between her junior publisher and the world-renowned writer but she hadn't yet been able to put her finger on it.

"Oh my god!" Aria freaked out. "Is that why Ezra mentioned last minute he couldn't make a meeting this week because he'd be visiting with Maggie's family in Philly? Trying to make it look like he didn't know _we_ couldn't make it. He's gonna be at the Radley this weekend, I just know it."

As she began hyperventilating, Liam pulled a small paper bag out of his pocket for Aria to breathe into. The panic attacks seemed to be happening more and more frequently, as did the nightmares, so Liam had to be prepared. He was coming to terms with his current role as Aria's close friend and confidant. They flirted and an outsider might perceive them to be an item, but Liam was painfully aware that was not the case. Liam of course wanted something serious, but Aria was not in a place for that right now, so he was happy to be a shoulder to lean on and to give pep talks and encouragement before each meeting with Ezra. _Maybe some day she'll come around_ , Liam thought wistfully.

Liam and Aria stepped into the backseat of Caleb's car before he pulled quickly onto the street after the light behind them turned red. Ted veered into the empty road just behind Caleb. The group was heading down to Rosewood for an official engagement party. Hanna had planned a large gathering of friends & family at the Radley the following evening. Mrs. Marin was nice enough to offer complimentary rooms for Spencer & Caleb as well as Aria & Liam.

The trip to Rosewood was long, and traffic was heavy but moving quickly. Aria hated the drive from Boston to Rosewood, and insisted on everyone taking a half-day of work in order to get ahead of the NYC traffic that had the potential to make the 5 ½ hour drive about 8 hours. Caleb chose to take the Tappan Zee Bridge and I-287 South through Morristown rather than the more direct route across the George Washington Bridge. They hit the city just as traffic was beginning to pick up. Luckily both cars made it across the bridge before the pile up occurred 15 minutes later, stopping all west-bound traffic.

"You all thought I was exaggerating when I said we should leave by 1," Aria stated proudly. "If we didn't get out of Boston when we did, we'd never get through the city." The pair of cars rolled into the Radley parking lot at quarter to 7 – just in time to check in and meet Hannah and Emily for a drink.

* * *

The entire motley crew from Boston walked into the bar area just after 7. Emily and Hanna ran to greet Spencer and Aria with a group bear hug. "I'm so glad you're finally here!" Emily and Hanna proclaimed in unison.

"I'm glad to see you too!" Spencer gushed. "These are my friends from Boston, Lilly and Robin." Hanna and Emily's approach had scattered the guys, who were afraid of getting caught in the estrogen-fueled stampede.

"Nice to meet you," Emily shook Robin's and then Lilly's hand while Hanna shook in opposite order. It was a tangled mess of hands, at which Hanna giggled uncontrollably. "She's halfway through her second martini," Emily explained. "Her _last_ martini," she said turning to look pointedly at Hanna.

The blond responded with a dramatic sad face. "Yes, mom," she replied.

As the girls moved to the far end of the bar to start catching up, Barney honed in on Ashley Marin. "Now there's a MILF if I've ever seen one," Barney nudged Caleb with his elbow. "She's all yours if you want a last hurrah before settling with Spencer. Otherwise I'll have her under my spell by midnight."

"Uh, no Barney, she's all yours," Caleb said immediately. "I used to date her daughter, Hanna. That blond girl over there with Spencer and Aria," Caleb pointed.

"I've never had a mother-daughter threesome, but I think that's something I'd like to try," Barney stated proudly, adjusting his tie dramatically.

"Barney, no. Can't you just keep it in your pants for one night?" Ted asked.

"Whatevs, I can settle for one at a time," Barney continued, refusing to take his mind out of the gutter.

"Isn't that Spencer's brother over there?" Marshall pointed in the direction of Jason DiLaurentis and Nicole. "Let's go say hi."

Jason was talking to Mike Montgomery while Nicole clung to Jason's arm. Nicole was of course making a scene as she talked to Mike's girlfriend Mona. "Oh my god," she gushed. "I absolutely _loooove_ Boston. The people are awesome, the city is awesome, and I even got to meet the famous author Ezra Fitz! Is it true that he used to teach at your high school?"

Mona fidgeted uncomfortably, thinking about Aria's previous romance with Ezra and how angry the topic made Mike. "Uh, yeah, he was my teacher."

Mike jumped in immediately. "Ezra's a fucking creep." Mike only knew about Aria & Ezra's past in Rosewood, but that was more than enough for him to despise his sister's former love.

"Oh, well I heard some rumors about Spencer's friend Aria, the weird one over there dating the nerdy-looking guy with a plaid green shirt and glasses," Nicole pointed to Aria, completely unaware she was talking to the girl's brother. "Apparently she was obsessed with Ezra when she was in high school. She was always trying to get into his pants in a creepy stalker sort of way," Nicole continued smugly. "Now she's supposedly editing his new book, but everyone knows Liam does all the work. And not just on the job either, if you catch my drift," Nicole finished with a wink.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Mike yelled. Mona pulled on his arm, before he started flailing at Jason's airhead girlfriend. "What the fuck is up with your girlfriend, man?" Mike turned to glare at Jason.

Marshall, Ted and Liam walked over to the commotion between Mike and Nicole. Barney was off circling the bar area like a vulture looking for the right target.

"Hey guys," Ted greeted nonchalantly.

Thankful for the distraction, Jason introduced Mike to Marshall, Ted and Liam. "This is Aria's brother Mike, and his girlfriend Mona."

Nicole's eyebrows raised slightly when she learned she'd been bad-mouthing Aria in front of her brother. Nonetheless, Nicole did not let up. "It's so great to see you all again!" Nicole greeted each newcomer with a hug. "We were all just talking about Ezra Fitz and his new book. You and Aria are so lucky to work with such a brilliant writer," she gushed with a saccharine sweetness to Liam. "It's so fantastic that you get to work with your girlfriend _and_ one of the greatest writers there is. Tell me, is there no conflict of interest there? You working with your girlfriend, a formerly infatuated student of Ezra's? Do you ever get jealous or nervous she'd leave you for him?"

The awkwardness was so thick it could be sliced with a knife. The group of guys all looked nervously at each other. Mona broke the silence.

"What are you talking about Nicole? Do you know anything about Aria other than rumors?" Though she hadn't been particularly friendly with Mike's sister when they were in high school, Mona and Aria had gradually become friends through the years of Mike and Mona's relationship.

"I know plenty about Aria. Right Jason?" she turned to look at her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. "She was your sister's friend, she has an obsession with stalking guys that are way out of her league, and…"

Nicole stopped when Jason shook her off his arm and glared at her. "You know nothing about Aria. Sounds like you've been spending too much time with your new BFF Maggie, who no doubt is filling your head with lies."

Nicole pouted and set her empty drink cup on a nearby table. "I think I need to step outside and get some air."

The group watched as Nicole made a bee-line for the hotel door, grabbing her phone on the way. After about 10 minutes, she returned briefly to inform the group she was worn out from the day of travelling and needed to rest before the big engagement party the following evening. Jason offered to walk her upstairs, but she insisted she'd be fine.

About 15 minutes after Nicole stormed upstairs, Liam was at the bar talking with Ted and Marshall with Jason and Mike standing about 10 feet down. During a lull in their conversation, Liam caught a glimpse of the poorly-disguised, arrogant, dark-haired author he had the miserable obligation of working with. As Aria predicted, Ezra had in fact shown up at the Radley, though apparently for different reasons than expected.

Meanwhile, Jason and Mike were engrossed in conversation about Mike's new job as a sports radio host in Philly. Mid-sentence, Mike stopped and did a double-take as he caught Liam wide-eyed and open mouthed.

"Ezra?" he said mostly to himself, but loud enough for Jason to hear as well. The elevator door closed before Jason got a chance to see for himself. "Let's follow him," Mike declared.

Jason had a sick feeling in his stomach, and agreed. "You take the second floor, I'll take the third," Jason instructed as they walked quickly towards the elevator. Jason and Nicole's room was on the third floor.

As the elevator door opened on the top floor, Jason walked out and looked both ways. The hall was empty. He turned to the left and walked to the end of the hall where Nicole was supposedly getting rest. Jason heard commotion in the room, swiped his room key and walked in to find a sight he'd never forget.

Stark naked, Nicole was on the bed, down on all fours, moaning loudly. Behind her, Ezra stood almost fully clothed with his pants and boxers at his knees. His hard cock plunged in and out of Nicole's wet pussy as he called her a dirty slut. Using his left hand, Ezra grasped Nicole's hair while his right hand massaged and smacked her bare ass.

"You like that, you horny bitch?" he growled. "I bet your poor excuse for a boyfriend can't fuck you like I can. It hasn't even been 24 hours since our last fuck and you just can't get enough."

Nicole and Ezra were so engrossed in their dirty romp that neither of them had noticed the door open. Jason was frozen in shock until he heard the elevator door open again. Mike hadn't found anything on the second floor so he went upstairs to back up Jason.

Rage flashed through Jason's body as he ran over and punched Ezra square in the jaw. Nicole whimpered at Ezra's withdrawal then tensed in fear when she realized she'd been caught. She quickly pulled the bed spread around her naked body. Mike walked into the room to see Nicole hiding in the blanket, Ezra with his pants around his knees, fully exposed, and blood dripping from his lip. Jason turned when he heard Mike, and Ezra sucker-punched him in the stomach. While Jason was doubled-over in pain, Ezra threw another punch to the side of Jason's head.

Mike ran over to throw in his own punches at Ezra. Within minutes, Marshall, Ted and Liam arrived on the scene. Knowing he was out-numbered, Ezra pulled up his pants and ran out of the room. As he barreled towards the elevator, two security guards caught him and carried him outside.

"Don't you ever come back here again!" Tom, the taller of the guards yelled as Ezra ran to his car.

Back at the scene of the confrontation, Jason was yelling at Nicole. "Get the fuck out of here! I don't ever want to see you again!"

"But Jason," Nicole was crying at this point. "I love you! Ezra came on to me and wouldn't take no for an answer! I couldn't fight him off any longer, I was getting scared!"

"That is a load of fucking bullshit," Jason said a sudden with eerie calmness. "You've been talking about him non-stop, and talking shit about Aria constantly. I think you're jealous of Aria. And honestly, you should be. I could never love you the way I Iove Aria."

The room got silent. Everyone stared at Jason in disbelief. No one knew of their short relationship except for the two of them, and Spencer.

* * *

The following morning, Hanna called up to Spencer, informing her she was late to the bridal party planning brunch. Spencer jumped out of bed, frantic.

"What's going on honey?" Caleb mumbled, pulling a pillow over his face to block out the morning sun. After closing down the bar the previous evening, Caleb had a splitting headache, as he assumed Spencer probably did too.

"I'm late! I over-slept! Hanna and Emily are downstairs waiting for me! Oh my god, what the hell happened last night?!" The words flew out of Spencer's mouth as if she was on fire.

"Calm down, sweetie," Caleb comforted her. "We got here, had dinner at the restaurant, then a few drinks at the bar."

Once dressed half-respectably – Spencer felt too rushed to shower and just threw on her skinny jeans with her blue & grey striped polo from the night before instead – Spencer walked next door to wake up Aria. As she raised her hand to the door, out walked her maid of honor in a cute sparkly grey dress and oversized purple belt.

"Morning, sunshine!" Aria chirped when she saw Spencer looking a tad bit frazzled. "Your entourage waits below!" she added with a flourish of her hands

Hanna had booked their entire weekend starting with "casual" drinks Friday evening, a bridal party brunch after which the girls would go browsing through bridal stores, not officially dress shopping, more planning a "feel" for the wedding. Saturday night was the official engagement party, and every time Spencer asked Hanna to verify it was just a small gathering, Hanna smiled and nodded as the guest count ticked up inside Hanna's head.

Aria and Spencer arrived to the Radley dining room to see Hanna, Emily, Robin and Lilly waiting at a large round table in the far corner of the room. Their waiter had just walked away after delivering mimosas.

"Thank god," Spencer mumbled to herself. "Hair of the dog."

"What was that Spence?" Aria asked. "Feeling a bit under the weather, are we?" Aria took pleasure in this rare turn of events. Spencer was almost always the least hungover after their nights out. Though Spencer had certainly drank most of the guys under the table at the end of the night when someone thought shots sounded good.

Spencer looked around the table. "Where's Ali?" she asked. "I'm sorry Em, but she's still my friend and I'd like her to be part of my wedding."

"Ali couldn't make it," Hanna deadpanned. "I've tried calling her, but she refuses to talk to me. Sometimes I wonder if she's more mad at me than at Emily."

Spencer looked at Hanna with a baffled expression. "Why would Alison be mad at you? Because you're still friends with Emily?"

Aria nudged Spencer and looked pointedly at Hanna and Emily. Obviously the bride-to-be was more out of it the previous night than anyone thought. Everyone at the table began laughing as the light bulb turned on over Spencer's head. Emily unwound her hand from Hanna's and put her arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulled her in to kiss her cheek.

"A little bit more than friends," Hanna answered, blushing slightly. "After Ali kicked her out, Emily had no place to go. Pam had downsized and lives in a small apartment by the park on the west side of town."

"Hanna was nice enough to take me in," Emily said appreciatively. "But she had more rules than my mother would have," she added, rolling her eyes and smirking.

"I had to watch you spiral out of control when you were with Ali," Hanna looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "I could tell you weren't happy with your life. Ali was turning back into the manipulative bitch she was when we were younger and used those kids to control you." Now Hanna looked back to the group. "I made her promise to stop sleeping around and each time I caught her moping, I'd start tickling her or doing something else to cheer her up. I guess things kind of progressed from there."

"Have you always been into girls?" Lilly asked. She had wanted to date a girl in college, but she'd met Marshall too early and never got the chance. Though, as their relationship got more and more serious, Lilly really felt the need to know what it was like to be with another woman.

"No, actually not at all," Hanna replied, winking at Spencer. "As a matter of fact, I broke in Caleb before he and Spencer got together."

"For real?" Lilly asked, stunned. "I'd cut a bitch if that happened to me!"

Spencer chuckled. "I never in a million years thought I'd date Caleb. He moved to DC after breaking up with Hanna, and we started hanging out then. My ex-boyfriend and his perfect fiancé, who also worked in DC, had moved into my neighborhood. It was really uncomfortable and depressing for me. Hanna actually suggested dating Caleb. She had moved on, was dating some Australian guy from Philly while she started her clothing line here in Rosewood. To be honest, I think she was a little surprised I did start dating him, but she said they'd grown apart and gave us her blessing."

"It's true," Hanna added cheerfully. "Caleb and I are too different to work out. We lived in Manhattan for a short time after high school, but we both grew restless. I wanted to be near my mom, and Caleb wanted to stay as far away from Rosewood as possible. I moved back here, and my old friend from high school, Lucas, had bought an old factory and offered the space for me to do whatever I wanted. I wanted to design clothes, so that's what I do."

"Oh my god," Lilly gushed making the connection between her favorite designer and the blond sitting across the table from her. "So you are the eye behind Hannalin? I absolutely love your contrasting colors line!" Lilly stood up to show off her royal purple calf-length skirt with hunter green pin stripes and pinkish-grey top.

"That's me," Hanna replied humbly. "That particular line was inspired by my good friend Aria," she added, smiling at her mildly-eccentric friend. "But enough about me, we're here for Spencer. So let's raise our glass and wish Spencer and Caleb a long and happy marriage!"

With that, everyone raised their glass and chimed in with "to Spencer and Caleb!"

* * *

After the girls finished their brunch, Hanna was already bubbling about the next thing on their agenda. She'd made an appointment at Rive Gauche for Spencer to try on wedding dresses. The high-class store also offered an array of non-traditional bridesmaid dresses – the kind not available in chain bridal stores.

As they turned the corner from the dining room towards the exit, Aria caught the back of Jason DiLaurentis as he stormed out of the elevator, mumbling to himself.

"Jason!" she yelled. "What's going on? Where's Nicole?"

Jason turned abruptly at hearing his name, and Aria was horrified to see the black eye Ezra had left the night before. "That bitch is fucking gone," he said with a menacing tone, as the mere mention of her name caused his rage to rise to the surface again. "I have to get out of here."

"What the hell, Jason? You're not leaving town before the party tonight, are you?" Spencer was confused, as memories of the previous night flashed through her head.

"I don't know yet," he replied curtly, glancing at Aria before turning and continuing out to the street.

"What the fuck happened?" Aria asked, looking hurt and confused.

Spencer took a deep breath as she remembered her conversation with Liam the previous night, just before the shots began. "Do you remember seeing Nicole in the bar last night?"

"How could I not? She was gushing all night about how great living in Boston will be," Aria spat in disgust. "She was surrounded by all the guys, including my brother, and of course Mona. That bitch always has to be the center of attention. I bet she was bad-mouthing me about Ezra."

"Yes, but did you see her leave?" Spencer probed.

"Well, no. When I saw her hanging all over Jason, I went straight to the bar. I downed a glass of wine and got bombarded by my mom and your mom wanting to talk about the wedding. It sounds like your mom is coming around, Spence. Probably thanks to Melissa returning to London," Aria replied. "But I called it an early night because just being in the same room as that bitch wears me out. Why?"

The group had stopped outside the Radley, waiting for the ride Hanna had arranged for them to go shopping. She had pulled out all the stops for the weekend – including hiring Lucas's driver and stretch hummer. Hanna would need to pull some serious strings for the bachelorette party to top this bridal-party kick-off party.

"Well, shortly after you went upstairs, Hanna and Emily left too. I was at the bar with Caleb, Barney, Lilly, Robin and Mona. We were wondering what happened to the other guys. Then not two minutes after I asked where everyone went, I heard a commotion. Two bouncers were carrying some guy outside. Looked like the guy was roughed up a bit and maybe slurring his words," Spencer explained.

"Who was it?" Aria asked, wondering what in the hell this had to do with Nicole.

"At the time I didn't know. Then Liam, Ted, Marshall, and Mike returned to the bar. Mike looked ready to snap, and Mona immediately grabbed his arm to lead him home. Ted & Robin and Marshall & Lilly split. So it was just Caleb, Liam and I at the bar," Spencer continued. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"The guy the security guards were carrying out was Ezra."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Aria exclaimed. "I knew that sonofabitch would show up here. God, why can't that asshole just leave me alone?!"

"He wasn't here to see you last night, Aria. Jason walked in on him banging Nicole." Spencer was silent for a moment to let that sink in.

"Jason punched Ezra, then Mike came for back up and Ezra sucker-punched Jason in the stomach then in the face, which is why he had a black eye," Spencer finished.

"So what the hell happened with Nicole?" Aria asked.

Spencer looked around, catching Robin and Lilly's eyes as they appraised the sidewalk intently. No doubt Ted and Marshall had given them the lo-down on what happened after Ezra was kicked out.

"Liam asked me if I knew anything about you and Jason," Spencer continued. Hanna and Emily raised their eyebrows. "Jason told Nicole to leave, saying he could never feel the same way about her as he does about you."

Aria's brown eyes opened wide and her heart started thumping. "He said that?" The goodbye scene in the Philly airport flashed through Aria's mind. She was sitting on the floor crying as Jason had walked away from her. She had to sit down. A panic attack was looming as the hummer drove up to carry the girls away. Spenc

er sat and put her arm around Aria.

"That's a good thing, right?" Spencer asked her friend. "I don't think it's a coincidence Jason is looking to expand the Carisimi group into Boston."

"Wait a minute," Hanna blurted. "Is there something going on between you and Jason, Aria?"

"There was," Aria whispered. "Around the time of the trial, before I moved to Boston, Jason & I had an intense short-lived relationship. When he left for the Peace Corps, and I moved to Boston, I was distraught."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Emily asked. "We thought you were hooking up with Ezra again."

"I was afraid of Ali, to be honest," Aria replied. "And Ezra is a fucking creep. I broke up with him before I moved to Savannah and he didn't take it well. During my junior year he showed up drunk on my doorstep and sexually assaulted me. I had a restraining order and everything. He's been harassing me again in Boston, and I'm stuck working on his book. Liam has been my savior."

"So wait," Lilly interrupted. "Aren't you an Liam a thing now? I mean you practically live together."

"I hooked up with Liam once," Aria replied. "The morning after Spencer and Caleb's engagement/apartment-warming party. After Jason showed up with Nicole, and she kept on gushing about Ezra."

"I knew it! I totally called that happening," Lilly said excitedly to Robin. "You owe me 5 bucks!"

"We're just friends now. He knows about Ezra's abuse, and even though he wants something serious, I told him I'm not ready. He totally respects that," Aria said.

"Well let's just forget about the guys for the morning," Hanna burst in as she noticed the day taking a downward turn. "We've got dress shopping and planning to do!"

"I agree," Spencer piped in. "Let's forget about all the drama and create some new memories! We haven't all been together under pleasant circumstances since high school. And of course we have some new friends to break in," she finished, waving her hands towards Lilly and Robin.

"Okay," Aria stood up. "I can do this." The petite brunette took a deep breath and climbed up into the hummer.

* * *

After the dress shopping session, Aria's mind drifted back to Jason. _Could it be true? Is he still in love with me?_

"Hey Spence," Aria began. "Would you mind dropping me off at the Brew? I need some time to write and clear my head before the party tonight."

It was 4:30 and the party started at 6. "How will you get ready in time if you stop off at the Brew. You'll lose track of time like you always do!" Hanna didn't understand someone could get ready in less than an hour.

"It's only a 15 minute walk from the Radley. I'm already dressed for the party. It'll only take me like 15 minutes to freshen up. I'll be fine," Aria responded defensively. "I really need some time alone to process everything."

"Sure thing sweetie," Spencer answered. "Take all the time you need." After all the long talks they had in Boston after Jason returned, Spencer knew her friend had a lot to process. She couldn't risk Aria having a back-slide to the person she was when Spencer moved to Boston.

As Aria walked away from the Hummer to the door of the Brew she grew apprehensive. She remembered that night all those years ago when she ran into Jason there. Just before their love affair began. Sure enough, as she walked through the door she spotted the shoulder-length dirty-blond hair of Jason DiLaurentis. His back was turned and he didn't notice when she walked in. Aria ordered a soy chai latte and walked nervously towards the back of the café.

Jason looked up from his book when Aria sat tentatively in the chair across from him.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hey," he replied.

They stared at each other for a few moments, disbelieving the reality of the situation, hoping dearly this was not a dream.

"Your hair," Jason smiled behind the beard he'd grown in Ethiopia. "You look beautiful."

Aria smiled shyly. "Thank you. I love your beard." The situation was awkward. Like two teenagers on a first date.

"Aria," he began, "I owe you an apology. I should have never left. Seeing you on the floor of the Philadelphia airport crying is the worst memory I have. I didn't know what else to do. I had been sure you took that job at Umbrella Publishing to find your way back to Ezra."

Tears filled her eyes as she remembered that day. It was the worst memory she had as well. "Jason," she barely managed to squeak out. "Ezra is a monster. I could never go back to him. He raped me when I was in college. I couldn't bear the thought of being with another man until I ran into you here during the trial."

Jason stared wide-eyed, words caught in his throat. "Why didn't you tell me about Ezra?"

"I couldn't bear to remember it. Spencer is the first person I told. Then Liam," she replied.

"Are you and Liam together?" Jason asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"No," Aria responded firmly. "We hooked up once, the night after I met Nicole. After that he just continued to stay with me because Spencer was gone and Ezra was stalking me."

"Oh my god Aria," Jason replied behind the black eye delivered by the very asshole they were discussing. "I assume by now you've heard about what happened last night?"

"Yes Jason," she replied, gingerly touching the side of his face. "I want to say I can't believe Ezra did that, but honestly I am not at all surprised. Do you know where Nicole went?"

"She called me from the train to New York. I didn't answer but she left an angry message. Apparently she is moving all her stuff out and returning to Tennessee," he replied. "I am so sorry about all the things she said about you."

Aria laid her hands across the table and Jason picked them up. He gently kissed the back of each hand, looking deeply into her eyes. "Will you be my date this evening?"

Aria smiled in return with her whole body. "Of course I will!"


	8. Spaleb Engagement Party

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the new followers! Thank you to autumnleaves18 for critiquing the ending of the last chapter. I love constructive feedback. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter:)

Aria finished her chai latte and walked with Jason out to his car. He opened her door chivalrously then walked slowly around the hood of his blue Camaro to the driver's side. Things were happening in dream-like slow motion. _Can this be real? s_ he thought, staring at the side of Jason's head as he drove. Aria felt as though her skin was alive with butterflies, and felt drunk with excitement. When they pulled into the Radley parking lot 5 minutes later, Jason got out and again opened Aria's door. He took her hand, kissed the back of it, and pulled her up to a full embrace. Aria wondered if he felt the electricity coursing through her veins. They'd both been fearful of making the first move, afraid the spell would be broken.

Once in his arms, Aria looked up and kissed the lips she'd been dreaming of for over a year. Everything felt right in the world. Jason responded by pulling her in closer and couldn't help but grab her ass a bit. Jason's head felt like it was about to explode as the last 24 hours' events unfolded at once. He hated that he felt thankful for Ezra. But without the sonofabitch skulking around, he might still be tied down with Nicole.

"Oh my god, Em, it's true!" Hanna gawked at Jason and Aria as she and Emily left their car.

Jason whipped around as the blonde's exclamation brought him back down to earth. "Oh, hey," he greeted them sheepishly. "I guess everyone heard what I said about Aria last night?" he asked rhetorically.

"Glad to see you found your ways back to each other," Emily said quietly. She felt a bit awkward around her ex-fiance's brother. Jason was never around when her and Ali were together, because Kenneth passed away unexpectedly during their first year of college. After that, Jason didn't feel the need to protect Ali anymore. Kenneth had a thing for young girls, and unfortunately Ali never seemed to grow up in his eyes.

"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I've got to go finish getting ready so Spencer doesn't freak out. You know how she is about timing and such," Aria sputtered. She hadn't expected to be confronted about Jason so suddenly. She'd planned to just ease everyone into the idea slowly by showing up to the party together and maybe holding hands – not blatantly making out in the parking lot. But goddamn, she couldn't help herself.

"Ok, well don't fall on anything when you're up there," Hanna said with a wink, looking pointedly at Jason's crotch.

Aria rolled her eyes and Jason smirked. The two couples walked to the Radley door. Emily and Hanna turned right past the high-class fake plastic tree while Jason and Aria turned left to hurry up the stairs. Jason walked Aria to her door and kissed her cheek softly before walking down the hall to the scene of the previous night's crime.

Jason slowly shook his head, mentally preparing himself to walk back into his room. Thankfully after he opened the door he found a clean, uninhabited room. The maids had come and made the bed, hopefully changed the sheets, and put fresh linens in the bathroom. The only suitcase was his own, but there was a flashing red light on the phone indicating he had a voicemail.

"You have five new voicemails," the cheerful recorded voice of the receptionist chirped. Ashley Marin insisted on having recorded voice greetings that came from real people, rather than the robotic-sounding recordings most phone services used. "Press one to play your first voicemail."

Jason took a deep breath before pushing the large number 1 key on the phone. He heard Nicole's sobbing voice, as both feared and expected. "Jason, sweetie, I am sooo sorry about last night. I swear it will never happen again. Ezra forced himself on me, I had no choice. I only pretended to like it so that he wouldn't be so violent. I'll be waiting for you in New York tomor-" the voicemail cut off and Jason slammed the phone down. He did not want to see Nicole again. Ever. Hesitantly he picked up his cell phone, just as his hotel phone rang.

"Hello," he said angrily, thinking it was Nicole again.

"Uhm, hey Jase," Aria said quietly. "I'm just about ready to go downstairs, is everything Ok?" Aria's stomach dropped as if someone had dropped a bowling ball down her throat. She knew this was too good to be true.

"Oh, hey you," Jason replied, as the sound of Aria's voice melted the anger that had tensed his shoulders. "I'm almost ready, I just need to make a quick call. Give me five minutes and I'll be by to pick your sexy ass up."

Aria giggled, the bowling ball replaced by butterflies. "Ok, five minutes." Jason heard her smiling through the phone.

With another deep breath, Jason opened his phone to see 8 text messages and 3 voicemails from Nicole. He didn't even bother to look at or read the messages. In the favorites section, he pressed _Nicole Cell_ and waited half a ring before she picked up.

"Oh thank god," she cooed in the sexiest voice she could muster. "I thought you were never going to get back to me. Are you still returning to New York in the morning?"

"Do you not remember anything from last night?!" he screamed. "I don't ever want to see your face again! I will not be returning to New York tomorrow. I have to see my sister Ali and her two kids. Besides, you need time to get the hell out of that apartment. If you're not gone by Friday I'm going to cancel the lease early and have your ass evicted. Comprende?" Jason heard sobbing on the other end. He could finally admit to himself that Nicole was the ugliest crier he had ever encountered. While in Ethiopia he'd convinced himself it was endearing, but one he'd seen Aria again he could no longer stand to be around Nicole.

"Fine," she replied quietly. "I'll be gone by Friday."

"Good." Thankfully he'd brought his computer with him and could work remotely for the week. Staying in Rosewood may have been a lie, at least somewhat. If the rest of the evening went as well as the afternoon, he'd be on the road to Boston in the morning. After downing a bottle of water from the minifridge, Jason composed himself changed into a pair of khakis and green button-down shirt. He grabbed his tan corduroy blazer and walked down the hall to pick up his date.

Aria had changed out of her purple and silver dress into a form-fitting black dress. The dress was floor-length with a side slit up to her thigh, and a deep V-neck. She'd put on an amethyst pendant and sliver platform heels.

"You look gorgeous," he said as he embraced the woman who owned his heart. "I feel a little underdressed now though."

"Oh Jason, you look quite dapper," she said behind the permanent smile she'd worn since they left the Brew. "I love the blazer. And that shirt makes your eyes even greener." Aria looked up at the adoring face smiling down at her. Jason put his warm hands on either side of her head and kissed her passionately.

"Thank you," he replied, before realizing Aria was sharing a room with Liam. "Is Liam in there?" Jason was now craning his neck to search for an audience.

Aria chuckled. "No, he's downstairs with Mike and Mona. He texted me earlier that he'd meet me down there. I hope it's not too awkward of a conversation."

Hand-in-hand Jason and Aria walked towards the elevator.

* * *

Spencer and Caleb greeted guests as they arrived to the dining area Ashley Marin had reserved for the engagement party.

"I'm going to murder Hanna," Spencer said under her breath as more and more guests piled in. "This was supposed to be a small family and close friends event."

"Calm down, sweetheart," Caleb replied as he rubbed Spencer's back gently. "You know how Hanna gets excited to plan parties, each has to be more epic than the last." Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw a flash of pink. "Speaking of the devil, here she comes."

"Hey Spence! Hey Caleb!" the blond party planner ran up to the happy couple, hugging each one in turn.

"Hey Hanna, it's good to see you. Thanks for planning this for us," Caleb said with a genuine smile. There was absolutely no awkwardness between the former lovers.

"Where's Em?" Spencer asked, glossing over her annoyance at the abundance of people. Hanna was so excited, Spencer couldn't actually be upset with her.

"Oh, she's back at the bar talking to your friends from Boston. Those girls are really chill. Will they be part of the bridal party?" Hanna couldn't wait for the formal announcement of the wedding party later that evening. She'd assumed they would be, considering they'd spent the day together.

"We'll make that announcement when the time comes, Han," Spencer replied mysteriously. _Of course they will be,_ she thought. "Is Ali coming tonight?"

Hanna took a deep breath, trying to be cool about her former friend, her girlfriend's ex. "I invited her, but she didn't RSVP. I think it depends on if she can find a babysitter for the evening."

With that, Alison DiLaurentis walked towards the dining room, arm in arm with Lorenzo Caulderone, one of Rosewood's finest policemen. When she saw Spencer, Ali's eyes lit up and she waved excitedly. Then her gaze fell on Hanna and a sour expression replaced the excitement.

"Spencer, congratulations! Sorry I couldn't make it to brunch, I was spending quality time with my fiancé and our twins." Alison held up her left hand to display a stunning diamond ring. Lorenzo squeezed her shoulders and planted a kiss onto the top of her head. The newly-engaged couple completely ignored Hanna.

"I'm gonna go check on the food," Hanna said loudly, breaking the tension bearing down on Spencer. Spencer was quite obviously stuck between a rock and a hard place with Ali and Hanna.

"Sounds good Han," Spencer turned her attention away from Alison's huge diamond and matching grin of superiority.

"Nice ring," Caleb said coldly, as if Ali was making a point to show how her ring was more impressive than Spencer's.

"Congrats, man," Lorenzo shook Caleb's hand like they'd been friends forever. Ali's arrogance must've been wearing off on him.

"Thanks," Caleb said as Barney walked up behind them.

"Pssst, Caleb," Barney said in a stage whisper. "Shots at the bar. Be there in 5 minutes." Barney turned to walk away when he noticed Ali's ring.

"I'm Barney," he said, turning full attention to Alison and stepping between her and Lorenzo. Ignoring the dirty look from her fiancé, Barney continued in the same faux-oblivious fashion. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Lorenzo cleared his throat. "That would be me," he said. "Lorenzo Caulderon, Rosewood PD."

"Whoa," Barney threw his hands up in innocence. "I was just trying to break the tension."

"Tension?" Lorenzo raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"It's totally not cool for your fiancé to be showing off her ring at Spencer's engagement party," Barney said casually, as he walked away. "By the way, you're down to 4 minutes Rivers, don't miss the shots."

"Is my brother here?" Ali asked, quickly changing the subject. "I can't wait to show Nicole my ring!"

"Uh, yeah," Caleb replied quickly, "somewhere back there." Caleb waved in the general direction of the bar. It certainly wasn't his duty to break the news to Ali that Nicole would not be in attendance.

With that, Alison and Lorenzo breezed past Spencer and Caleb, in search of Jason and his now ex-girlfriend.

"Oh my god, what a bitch!" Spencer fumed, as she looked at her watch. It was 6:09. "They weren't even here on time. Ali needs to go."

"It'll be ok," Caleb turned and kissed his fiancé's forehead. "Why don't you go find your girlfriends, and I'll meet the guys at the bar. We can make our announcements after dinner's over." Spencer embraced Caleb, gently kissing his neck, and walked over to Emily and the Boston crew.

* * *

Jason and Aria stepped out of the elevator in unison and headed towards the growing crowd in the private dining room reserved for the engagement party. Aria looked towards the bar to see Liam chatting with Mike and Mona. Liam turned and waved, a big drunken smile plastered on his face. Though deep-down Liam knew he was not the one in Aria's mind, he held onto hope. That is until last night when he heard Jason profess his love for Aria. The love proclaimation turned on the lightbulb in Liam's head as he slowly realized why Aria had been afraid to start something real with him. Aria had eyes only for Jason. Seeing Aria walk in to the party with Jason confirmed his suspicion and he knew he did not stand a chance against the guy who brought such a beautiful, genuine smile to Aria's face. Each meeting with Ezra these past few weeks drained more and more of the life from her eyes. Tonight, however, the light in Aria's eyes shone with a love as deep as the sea.

"Hey guys," Jason said as the couple walked up to Aria's brother, his girlfriend and Aria's coworker. Jason shook Mike's and Liam's hands and gave Mona a quick hug.

"Hey man," Mike replied as he handed Jason a beer. "Good to see you in a better form today than last night."

"Thanks," he replied, as the bartender emerged with a glass of wine for Aria.

"Liam ordered for you when he saw you two walk off the elevator," Mona explained to Aria's bewildered expression.

"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that," Aria looked nervously at Liam. Before she had a chance to continue, Liam calmed her fears as if he could read her mind. "I'm really happy for you Ar," he said genuinely. " I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. It's beautiful. Cheers!" Liam caught Jason's quizzical eye and raised his beer glass to toast.

"You're such a goofball," Aria giggled at Liam, as Jason casually put his arm around his girlfriend's tiny waist and pulling her into him. Their bodies fit together perfectly and he still couldn't believe his luck at having a second chance with Aria. Closing his eyes, lost in his thoughts, Jason leaned over and kissed the top of Aria's head.

"Jason! Oh my god," Ali made her grand entrance to the little group. "What are you doing?! Where is Nicole?"

"Nicole is gone. I caught her fucking Ezra, or rather getting fucked by Ezra, last night," Jason snapped as his bratty sister broke his moment. Ali seemed to love Nicole more than she loved Jason. And who had been the one to comfort her after every time Kenneth snuck into her room at night? Spoiled bitch.

"Oh, that sounds as likely as Santa fucking the Easter Bunny," Ali said haughtily before turning to Aria. "And you. Why the hell are you hanging all over my brother?" she asked with an unpleasant face.

"Aria is my date for the evening," Jason cut in. "She also used to be one of your best friends, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Well I can't trust any of those bitches anymore. After Emily left me for Hanna –" Ali began before Aria cut her off.

"Just stop Ali," Aria spat in disgust. "Play nice or leave. Tonight is about Spencer and Caleb, not you."

"I beg to differ," Ali said as she put her left hand on Lorenzo's chest to show off her new diamond.

With that, Ashley Marin stepped up to the little stage area in the front of the room. "Excuse me, everyone, please find your seats. Dinner will be served momentarily."

Aria and Jason were seated at the front of the room with the bride- and groom-to-be, as well as Mike and Mona.

After dinner was served, the waitstaff carried out dessert and poured coffee. Caleb stepped on to the stage with Spencer to address the party.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight. Spencer & I are grateful to spend the evening with family and close friends. We are still in the early stages of wedding planning, but want to take a minute to announce our wedding party." Caleb turned to flash a smile to Spencer. "I'll go first to build the suspense.

"First off, my best man, Toby Cavanaugh. For those who know our pasts, it might seem weird that I am asking my fiancé's ex-boyfriend to be my best man, but Toby's been like a brother to me for years. Come on up here, buddy." Toby stood from the table just next to theirs and walked on stage to embrace Caleb.

"Thanks for having me here, brother. I couldn't be happier for you two," Toby motioned to Caleb and Spencer.

Caleb then rattled off the rest of the groomsmen. "Next, Mike Montgomery, and my friends from Boston Ted Mosby, Marshall Erickson, and Barney Stinson."

There was a round of applause as Caleb spoke into the microphone once more. "And the moment we've all been waiting for, drum roll please, Spencer's announcement of the bridal party!"

Spencer rolled here eyes as she grabbed the microphone from Caleb. "Again, thanks everyone for coming out tonight. And a special thanks to Hanna Marin for planning this shindig." Spencer paused for a round of applause. "First off, I'm excited to introduce my maid of honor, Aria Montgomery. Aria welcomed me into her apartment when I transferred to BU a little over a year ago. We were best friends in high school and have had the time of our lives together in Boston. Aria Montgomery, everyone!" The crowd clapped dutifully. "Next up, the rest of my bridal party. Hanna Marin, the aforementioned mastermind behind this lovely evening, Emily Fields, Mona Vanderwaal, and my friends from Boston, Robin Scherbotsky and Lilly Aldren."

Toby took the microphone next. "I'd like to propose a toast. We've all been through so much together growing up in Rosewood. It's been good, bad and at times quite ugly. That we've all been friends through the years says a lot about the bond between us. I know Spencer and Caleb well, and I know how well they compliment each other. Let's all raise a glass to Spencer and Caleb's happy future."

With that everyone raised their glasses in collective cheers and the wedding party exited the stage. Moments later, heavy velvet curtains opened to display the band Hanna had booked for the occasion. People got up from their tables and sauntered up to the dance floor that was set up just in front of the band.

* * *

"It's sooo good to see you again," Alison's sarcasm pooling at her feet when she addressed Emily. Alison and Lorenzo sat at a bar table as they were not expected and did not have actual seating. It appeared she'd not eaten anything, preferring to fill up on champagne instead. Lorenzo didn't drink, he never knew when he might be called on to save a kitten from a tree or something.

"Why are you here Ali?" Emily asked.

"Oh didn't you hear, Hanna invited me," she replied snidely. "I think she wanted to show off how _happy_ you are with her. I hear you've been talking shit on me. What's that about?"

Emily did not want to fight with her belligerent ex-fiancé. Especially a _drunken_ belligerent ex. "I speak nothing but the truth. If you are a shitty person, if you treat me like shit, I have nothing to say about you but shit."

"Oh no you didn't! I treated you like a queen, I gave you the world," Ali retorted. "And you couldn't keep it in your pants. You cheated on me so many times I can't even count."

Their voices were growing louder, and a crowd was gathering. "Girl fight!" Mike Montgomery cried before Mona elbowed him sharply.

"Ugh, this town is so disgusting," Ali turned unsteadily on her heel. Lorenzo tried to catch her, but it was too late. Miss Queen Bee Alison DiLaurentis was sprawled across the bar floor, writhing in pain.

"Oh my god, someone call 9-1-1!" Lorenzo cried with a high-pitch yell. Apparently Ali's dramatics had worn off on him as well.

Toby ran over. In addition to being a former police officer, he was also atrained EMT. "Alison," he said gently, holding up a finger. "Can you focus your eyes on my finger?"

Ali complied. Toby moved his finger back and forth, Ali's eyes transfixed. She'd stopped bawling.

"Ok, good. Now let me see your ankle," Toby said. She moved it into his lap. He gently turned and twisted her ankle, not feeling any broken bones. "Does that hurt?"

"Yeah, owww, please stop," Alison whimpered.

"It's just a sprain, she doesn't need an ambulance," Toby stated. "I've got some ace bandages in my car. In the meantime, just sit and put your leg on a chair. Have Lorenzo get a bag of ice and hold it around your ankle."

Alison complied. There were purple spots forming around her ankle. Everyone was staring at her. _I'm Ali and I'm fabulous_ , she thought. _Alison 1, those other bitches 0._

* * *

At midnight, the band played their last number, "Good Feeling" by the Violent Femmes. It was an epic end to an epic party.

Aria and Spencer collapsed at their table, a half-empty bottle of champagne between them.

"Another toast to you and Caleb," Aria giggled. There had been too many Spencer-and-Caleb toasts to count.

"Better yet," Spencer slightly slurred her words. "A toast to you and Jason! I'm so happy for you, Aria!"

"I'll drink to that," Aria awkwardly leaned across an empty seat to hug the bride-to-be.

Caleb and Jason stood off to the side, watching their loves with amusement.

"You're a lucky guy, Caleb," Jason said thoughtfully. "Take care of my sister."

"You're a lucky guy too Jason," Caleb replied. "I swear to god if you hurt Aria I will rip off your arms and legs then beat you with the bloody stumps," he added jokingly.

"I swear I won't hurt her," Jason chuckled, raising his hands in drunken surrender. "I promise to love that girl with all my heart until the day I die," he added quietly, as if he didn't intend for Caleb to hear.

Once the champagne bottle was empty, Caleb and Jason gathered up Spencer and Aria and headed upstairs.

* * *

Jason opened the door to his room, ushering Aria in before him. The day had passed in a whirlwind. The two former lovers would be soon be reunited as one. Aria slowly kicked off her heels and sat tentatively at the edge of the bed. She crossed her legs seductively, causing the long slit in her skirt to open over her well-toned legs. Jason bit his bottom lip as he watched Aria lean back and stare up at him with smoldering eyes. He took off his blazer and pulled Aria up off the bed. She locked her arms around his neck as he leaned in press his lips into hers, the passion building.

Jason caressed Aria's back gently as she searched his mouth with her tongue. Aria could feel Jason's excitement poke near her belly button, just where it had so many times in the past. Jason fumbled slightly with the zipper of Aria's dress as she deftly unbuttoned his shirt. Aria felt tingly as a warm breeze buffeted her naked torso when her dress hit the floor. It was as if the universe was blessing their reunion.

Aria removed Jason's shirt and white undershirt, admiring the toned abs she'd run her hands across countless times. Jason looked down at the dark-haired goddess below him. He opened his mouth to tell her how beautiful she was, but Aria put her finger to his lips. She did not want to disturb the symphony of the universe, did not want to break the spell. There would be plenty of time for talking later.

After all their clothes were strewn about on the ground, Jason lifted Aria and gently laid her back on the bed. After drinking in her beauty with his eyes, Jason began planting soft kisses along her inner thighs. Aria moaned softly. He continued kissing until he reached her center. Aria was dripping with pleasure. Jason hungrily explored her netherlips, eliciting soft moans from Aria.

After bringing her to the brink of orgasm, Jason positioned himself just above her entrance. He held himself up on his elbows, planting wet kisses on Aria's lips. She moaned at the familiar aroma of Jason's wet face, which caused her explosive-level excitement to build a step higher. Jason could barely contain himself, and began to slowly ease his throbbing cock into Aria's wet pussy. Despite his attempts to make the moment last, Aria's orgasm set him off. The symphony of the universe reached a grand crescendo as Jason and Aria came together in an earth-shattering orgasm.

a/n: Sorry but not sorry to the Ali fans on here. As I write various scenes, my subconscious disdain for various characters takes over. Rather than try to censor myself, I just let it go. Anyhoo, let me know what you think! Also, let me know if there is further interest in smutty Spaleb scenes.


	9. End Game

_A/N: I'm starting to think the days of PLL fanfic are numbered. It's been awhile since the show ended, and there doesn't seem to be as much enthusiasm in this fandom than there was a year ago. I'm personally struggling to keep up with my own writing. When I do write, it seems forced because I've made the scope of the story too wide. I'm hoping to pare down the accessory characters and just write fluff and smut. If you're still along for the ride, please read & review/follow/fav or PM me. I'd love to hear your feedback!_

After a late brunch, Aria found herself back in the passenger seat of Jason's car. Luckily her hangover was not as bad as it should've been. There must be something about her steamy night with Jason that prevented it.

"Are you feeling OK this morning?" Jason startled Aria as she was staring blankly out the window, not seeing the beautiful color of the leaves. The situation still felt very surreal.

"Huh?" she turned to see Jason looking concerned. "Oh yeah," she smiled, "I'm great. Still processing everything that's happened in the past 24 hours I guess." Great was an understatement. Giddy was more like it.

"Sorry about my sister last night. She hasn't taken the Emily & Hanna situation very well," Jason felt awkward bringing up the topic.

"You don't have to apologize for her," Aria responded off-handedly. "She's always been kind of a bitch. We all just sort of looked the other way when she was like that in high school. But we're all adults now and know better than to just let someone walk all over us." Honestly, Aria was still a bit scared of Ali. What if she could control her brother the way she'd controlled the others back in high school?

"You deserve an apology," Jason replied, grabbing her hand. "You are an amazing woman and deserve to be treated with respect." Jason couldn't believe what she'd been through with Ezra, what she still had to go through in her day-to-day job. He looked over and the way her midnight sky hair captured the sun was breath-taking. It was as if Aria had a special gravity, one that very subtly but firmly begged both attention and admiration.

* * *

Aria and Jason pulled up to their apartment just in time to see Liam emerge with his suitcase and overnight bag. "I'll come by tomorrow after work to get the rest of my things," he said awkwardly when he noticed the couple. "I don't want to get in the way."

"No rush Liam," Jason said with a friendly tone. "Why don't you stay for the Patriot's game?"

Liam looked at his watch. 4:30 pm. "Nah, the game doesn't start for over an hour. I appreciate it Jason, but I still need to recover from this weekend," Liam teemed outwardly with nonchalance despite the tumult building under the surface. On the one hand, Aria was not and had never been _his_. But on the other hand, they shared a deeper connection than just coworkers & roommates. Liam kicked himself for not seeing this coming. Though, how could he have predicted it? He knew nothing about Jason until he showed up in Boston with his annoying "girlfriend" Nicole.

Liam then turned to Aria, addressing the elephant in the room, the one that spurred Jason's confession that shattered Liam's dreams of a happily-ever-after with the girl. "We need to have a serious talk with Jillian about Ezra tomorrow."

Aria closed her eyes, as if trying to will herself out of the uncomfortable situation she was in. "I still need some time to process everything," she whispered. Talking to Jason and her friends about what Ezra did to her brought up some painful memories, memories she'd suppressed for years. Aria had quite the knack for daydreaming herself out of painful situations, and didn't particularly like to confront her anxiety head-on.

"Ok, I'm not trying to overwhelm you" Liam spoke quietly, not quite knowing how to effectively broach the topic. "But before he gets too out-of-hand, we need to put an end to this project. After what I witnessed last night, I don't think I can look at the bastard again."

"Honestly Aria," Jason put his arm around her and pulled her in closer to his side and agreeing with Liam. "I'm not comfortable with you working with Ezra. I never have trusted the sonofabitch, but after what you told me and what I saw last night, I don't even think he should be walking the streets as a free man. I have a hunch he's involved in something deeper."

"Ok," she whispered as she buried her face in Jason's shoulder. It felt so good to finally be able to give in to someone's protection. There was no way Aria could have held herself together without Spencer and then Liam around, but she'd never felt entirely safe. Aria was never able to fully trust anyone after Ezra's abuse. Even though Jason had left her once before, it had torn him up as much as it did her. Now that they were back together Aria vowed nothing would pull them apart.

* * *

Jason dropped off Aria Monday morning before heading to the mostly empty new Carisimi headquarters. "Have a good day honey," Jason leaned over to plant a kiss on Aria's soft lips. "I'll see you around 6."

"Thanks Jase, you too," Aria stole another kiss before stepping out of the car. Having just arrived, Liam held open the door for Aria and waved at Jason. Neither one of them was prepared for Jillian.

"Conference room, NOW!" she barked before Aria and Liam had a chance to set their things in their respective work stations. The junior editors stared at each other as deer staring into headlights.

"Uhm," Aria piped timidly. "Ok." Jillian was halfway down the hall, heels clomping in anger.

When Aria and Liam walked into the room, Jillian was holding up a Boston Globe dramatically. Neither had a chance to register what exactly they were looking at.

"Ezra Fitz, renowned author, pinned in child pornography ring."

"Oh my fucking god," Aria spoke in a barely-audible tone. "He's more of a monster than I thought."

"You knew about this?" Jillian incredulously asked.

"Not that. I know first-hand what a sexual predator he is, but I had no idea his sickness went this far," Aria replied timidly. Her hands shook uncontrollably and Liam pulled out a chair just in time to break her fall.

"The book deal is off," Jillian said unnecessarily. "Now I just need to figure out how to get my money back."

"He signed a contract, right?" Liam ask, breaking his eyes away from Aria to look at Jillian.

"Well, yeah, of course he did," Jillian responded half sarcastically. "Everyone signs a contract when Umbrella puts out money. I just don't think he's going to give back the money without a fight. And who the hell knows what other sort of dirty business he's into."

* * *

Aria's phone buzzed as she walked back to her desk from the conference room. She looked down to see _Jason DiLaurentis_ light up the screen.

"Hey Jase, what's up?" Aria answered cheerfully, despite the bomb Jillian just dropped and her near-fainting.

"Uhm, have you seen the papers?" Jason asked, too stunned by what he saw to realize how ridiculous the question was. _Of course_ she'd seen the papers.

"Yeah," she replied. "Jillian is not happy." That was an understatement. "But at least I won't have to work with him anymore. Jillian is dropping the book."

The rest of the day passed quickly. Aria and Liam were tasked with pouring over their notes on interactions with Ezra. Jillian needed as much ammo as she could find before confronting Ezra. As if the child porn thing wasn't enough.

"I don't think any of my notes are going to hold any sort of water," Liam commented during lunch. "I sound like a jaded editor, jealous of Ezra's power and fame."

"They can't be any worse than my notes," Aria replied. "All I have is a bunch of vague abstractions."

"You have your experience in Savannah," Liam suggested delicately.

Aria sighed deeply. "I know, but it's all he-said she-said stuff."

"You had a PFA down there, right? That will speak volumes. Especially when they put pieces together about how being around you probably dredged up some predatory muscle memory."

"I suppose you're right. I'll talk to Jillian later this afternoon. Can you come with me?"

"Of course," Liam replied, happy the fiasco was going to be soon behind them.

* * *

As promised, Jason was waiting outside Umbrella for Aria when she finished work. He stood outside, leaning against his car, as if basking in the dusk of a beautiful fall day. Aria smiled widely as she trotted over to embrace Jason and kiss him tenderly on the lips. Jason felt torn. A big part of him wanted to life Aria and press her back up against the car and have his way with her. The other part was embarrassed of PDA's, especially after Nicole. Jason settled for moaning as he gently slipped his tongue into her mouth and discretely grabbed her ass.

"I missed you today," Jason spoke as he admired Aria's pants tighten across her ass as she slid into the passenger seat.

"I missed you too," Aria leaned over and planted another kiss onto his scruffy cheek. Aria was so glad he'd decided to keep the rugged look. Just looking at his face, all that facial hair, reminded her of all the time she'd enjoyed the feel of it between her legs.

* * *

 _Here we are at my 'ship scape of PLL: Jaria ~ Spaleb ~ Hannily. I'm not sure how I feel about Hannily (actually I prefer Paily), but I certainly don't like Emison and I'd prefer Caleb & Spencer were endgame on the show. _

_I think my perspective of the whole PLL scene is jaded. I'm almost done reading the books, and I believe that has been the major cause of my growing disinterest in my own stories based off the series._


	10. Enter the Don

_a/n Hey everyone! After a mostly internal debate, the voices convinced me to keep going with the story (kidding, sort of, lol). Also, thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites after the last update! That definitely encouraged me to continue! Please review, and comment or PM with any ideas or points of confusion!_

* * *

Wednesday morning Aria arrived at Umbrella Publishing a few minutes late. Fully expecting Jillian to tear her head off, she tentatively opened the door and crept towards her desk. Sophia waved good morning. "Don't worry," she said. "Jillian is in an early meeting. Her door was closed when I got here."

"Oh, thank god," Aria was relieved. Jillian had been particularly ferocious this week, what with Ezra's arrest and the loss of what was supposed to be another best seller. Aria looked around, not seeing Liam anywhere. "Where's Liam?" she asked Sophia. "I saw his car parked across the street. He never drives here."

"Oh, uhm," Sophia stuttered. "I believe he is with Jillian." Sophia was acutely aware of a tension between Aria and Liam, a tension so subtle, so below-the-surface, that even they weren't aware of it. She was afraid of what would happen if Liam were to get preferential treatment from Jillian as a result of Ezra's arrest. She wouldn't be able to pick sides in an argument.

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Aria queried innocently enough.

"It might have something to do with Ezra," Sophia suggested lightly. She was the only one in the office besides Liam that knew the true extent of Aria's relationship with Ezra. Most of the office knew he was her high school English teacher, a good many believed the rumors she was involved with Ezra during high school, but no one knew of the abuse.

"Oh, right, I heard he was released on bail yesterday," Aria replied. "They're probably trying to figure out how to get the advance back. Quarter of a million bail is hefty." The thought of Ezra roaming free made her apprehensive, but at least he was required to wear an ankle bracelet so he couldn't cause too much trouble. Right?

"I know, isn't it crazy his girlfriend is still by his side?" Sophia mused. In fact, Maggie knew quite a bit about the Fitzgerald Theater Company and their long involvement with human trafficking. The girl just chose to look the other way because Ezra played it off like his family was actually helping people escape their 3rd world hell. Besides, the money was fantastic.

"She's quite a gold digger, from what I've heard," Aria said. "With the amount of money Ezra supposedly had hidden in off-shore accounts it'd be easy to look the other way."

At that moment, Jillian's door opened and the intimidating woman stepped outside and called for Aria. Sophia and Aria could see Liam and some other guy in a tailored suit sitting behind her. Liam looked dumbfounded.

"Oh shit," Aria thought, having no idea why she was being called into a closed-office meeting. She glanced at Sophia, who looked at her apologetically, before standing up slowly. "Do I need to bring anything?" she nervously asked Jillian.

"Nope," her boss replied curtly. "Just your brain. I hope you had your Wheaties this morning," she added with the hint of a conspiratorial grin. She held the door open for Aria then shut it gently.

"This is Don Puzo, and of course you know Liam," Jillian pointed to the Italian in the Armani suit. He stood and offered his hand to Aria.

"Good morning, sir," Aria replied shyly. Her small hand was lost in the massive grip of Puzo.

"It's a pleasure," Don replied. "I heard about your unfortunate involvement with that Fitzgerald boy, the one who pathetically tried to hide behind the name Fitz," he shook his head amusedly. "I'd like to make you an offer."

Wide-eyed, Aria turned to Liam. "What did you tell them?"

"Oh don't worry about Liam," Puzo cut in. "I've got eyes and ears up and down the east coast. All your friend here did was corroborate my suspicions and stand up for your reputation."

"Don's family history and involvement with the Fitzgeralds goes back generations," Jillian spoke surprisingly softly. "Your involvement with Ezra only scratches the surface of his family's sordid history."

"Ezra's grandfather killed my father 2 decades ago. Made it look like an accident, but everyone knows Declan did it," Puzo scowled as he recalled the "accident" at his father Alfredo's top-secret nuclear research facility in Duchess County, NY.

"What Mr. Puzo came to offer is an opportunity," Jillian spoke again. "He'd like to cover the advance we gave to Ezra. In return he'd like to hear your story about being involved with Ezra."

Don's scowl was replaced by a soft smile. "I think there's a very good book you've got."

"But I haven't got a book. I'm an editorial assistant, not an author," Aria was stunned. The temperature of the room seemed to rise at least 10 degrees.

"Like I said, I've got eyes and ears up and down the east coast. The style of writing you adopted after Ezra's abuse speaks volumes. I'm fully confident you can write a best-seller that will make at least twice the amount as the Fitzgerald boy's book. I can fill you in on his family's past, and offer you protection from him. The boy was released on bail, and without a doubt I believe he will be after you sooner than later," Don explained.

"Liam will be assigned as your editor. I do not want this getting out to the rest of the team, so you two will have to keep it quiet. For now at least," Jillian added.

"Uhm, wow," Aria was bewildered. "How do you know about my writing?" The only person other than Liam she'd shared her writing with was her old roommate Iris who'd suggested she keep it to herself. Iris had spent a month-long stint in a place called The Preserve during her junior year of high school and knew the danger of sharing dark, semi-delusional or paranoid writing. They'd labelled her a paranoid schitizophrenic with psychosis. Iris lived through unimaginable Hell, having had a sociopathic serial killer roommate while she was there.

Don Puzo just brought his two index fingers up to tap the side of his eyes, indicating his omniscient knowledge. This was certainly not what Aria expected to walk into this morning.

"Well, can I at least talk to my boyfriend about it first?" she asked.

Jillian raised her eyebrows and glanced at Liam. "N-n-not me," Liam stuttered when he realized what Jillian was implying.

"Of course you can tell Jason," Puzo injected. "He'll be a larger part of the story than you think."

"How do you know…." Aria trailed off, as again the Don just brought his two index fingers up to tap the side of his eyes.

"Well, you don't have to answer right now," Don said sensing Aria's hesitation. He read the situation well enough to know he should not to come on too strong, but he also knew he would not be leaving Boston without convincing the girl to write the book. He'd even let her believe it was her own choice. "I leave for New York tonight. I'd like to have your answer by then." He stood up to leave, pulled a sizeable stack of $100 bills out and set it in the middle of the table. Jillian stood and walked Puzo to the front door, leaving Aria and Liam behind to discuss the proposition.

"Uhm, did we just get asked to join the Mafia or something?" Aria asked as soon as it felt safe to let out the breath she'd been holding.

"The Don's serious Aria," Liam spoke. "This is an amazing opportunity. I think we should do it."

"I don't know if I have it in me," Aria felt overwhelmed with the whirlwind of the last few months. Having to relive the nightmare that was her relationship with Ezra was draining. She didn't know if she could go through it all again and share it with the world.

"You're stronger than you think," Liam told her sincerely. "Just think about it."

With that, the pair walked out of the office and towards their empty desks.

* * *

During her lunch break, Aria walked down the block to meet up with Jason; the book proposition was weighing on her heavily and though she knew Jason was practically drowning in start-up duties for the Boston Carisimi expansion, she needed to see him.

"Hey sweetheart," Jason said as he kissed Aria softly on her cheek. "What's up?" Jason could hear the restrained tears when she'd called him an hour ago. All she could say was that she needed to see him. Jason figured it had something to do with Ezra, maybe the bastard had gone so far as to start harassing her the moment he was out on bail. Jason seethed with anger when he thought about it.

"Hey Jase, I got offered an opportunity to write a book this morning," she nonchalantly dropped the bomb in his lap.

Jason's eyes got wide and he wrapped his small girlfriend in a bear hug. "That's fantastic! Do you know what you want to write about?"

Aria relished the feeling of Jason's strong arms around her. Taking a deep breath, she lit the fuse. "It's supposed to be about Ezra. How I got involved with him and knew the true monster behind the fame."

"Oh," Jason's eyes got wider and his jaw dropped. "How did this come about?"

"I got to work this morning, and Liam was with Jillian and some guy from New York City named Don Puzo. The guy claimed he knew a lot about the skeletons in Ezra's family's closet."

"Ezra must be related to the Fitzgeralds that have the 'theater company' in New York," Jason mused, mostly to himself. "Fitz is laughingly not a far cry from Fitzgerald." Jason knew the Fitzgerald Theater Company was one of the biggest rackets in the city, one that somehow managed to evade the RICO laws. The name Puzo also sounded alarm bells, but Jason chose not to dwell on it.

"Yeah, well Don put 5 grand in cash on the table before he left the meeting. I'm supposed to let him know by the end of the day if I want to do it," Aria spoke nervously. "I don't know if I can handle reliving that, and share with the world what it was like."

Jason felt his stomach drop. He could see Aria's trepidation, could feel her anxiety. The book proposition, the money involved, the Italian business man she'd described, all hit Jason like a ton of bricks. Choosing his words carefully, Jason spoke with quiet reserve. "You can do anything you put your mind to Aria. I will support you in whatever you decide."

"I was hoping you'd be able to sway my decision," Aria mumbled. Part of her was really afraid of writing the book, but part of her was excited to show the world what made the famous author tick. Jason paused.

"I think you should do it," Jason said quite frankly and with conviction. Though the thought of his girlfriend having to relive the hell Ezra put her through almost broke his heart, he'd learned the best way to conquer one's demons is to face them head-on. It was a terrifying thing to do, but that's how he'd gotten through his darkest moments. No matter what, they were in this together. "The entire world needs to know what a monster Ezra is. I am here for you every step of the way."

They ordered sandwiches and soda from the Deli, and sat at a table by the window. Jason told Aria about the meeting he'd managed to score with the mayor of Boston later that afternoon. "I can't believe I got in with the guy so quickly."

"Why wouldn't you? The Carisimi group in New York has really taken off and you're an international philanthropist," Aria stated proudly, happy for the change in discussion.

"The meeting is not until 4 pm, and it is in Center City, so I will not likely get back out to this area until after 6. Would you mind taking the bus home? I don't want you to wait around, especially if no one is going to be in the office."

"Not at all," Aria replied. "Liam drove this morning, so I can ask him to take me home if that's ok."

"Sounds great," I'll pick up food on my way home. Jason told his girlfriend. He had no animosity towards Liam, and couldn't think of a less-threatening coworker for Aria. Not that he was jealous or anything.

* * *

As soon as Aria walked back into the building that housed Umbrella Publishing, Jillian called her into her office. "Have you thought about Don Puzo's offer?"

"I have barely been able to stop thinking about it," Aria replied. "I just spoke to Jason about it, and I think I want to do it."

"Please, Aria," Jillian cut her down a notch. "I need more resolve. The Don is a big-hearted guy, but he can be intimidating. I need to know you are in this 100%."

"Only if Liam is in," Aria haggled with her boss.

"I guarantee you he is in," Jillian said, waving Liam in as he returned from lunch. Then turning her attention towards the door, she said, "Aria's in."

Liam broke out into a huge grin and hugged his coworker. "That's fantastic!"

"Now, now, this needs to stay professional. That means no more sleeping together," Jillian looked at her two junior editors sternly.

"Aria's boyfriend is back from Ethiopia and free from the leech he picked up there, so I am living solo again," Liam told their boss.

Jillian looked at them quizzically. "It's a long story," Aria began, "but this guy I dated for a few months went to Ethiopia with the Peace Corps and returned with some clingy chick who cheated on him with Ezra. That's actually the nicest thing Ezra's done for me since I was in high school."

Liam couldn't help but snicker at Aria's sarcasm and poetic description of the situation. This book was going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

"Great," Jillian told them. "I'll call Don and let him know the good news. He's probably going to want to take you two out to discuss some terms before he leaves for New York."

Aria looked tentatively at Liam. He grinned from ear to ear, which made Aria feel more confident. They walked back to their desks, objects of quizzical stares from their cube-mates. Everyone knew about the disaster surrounding Ezra Fitz, and the litigation to have the advance returned. No one had any idea what had transpired between him and Aria or that closed-door meeting with the Italian businessman.

* * *

Don Puzo pulled out Aria's chair in the small, dimly-lit café he'd arranged to meet Aria and Liam at. It smelled robustly of espresso and cigar smoke. A waiter appeared immediately with a tray of cannolis, 3 cups of espresso and a bottle of Congac. Aria took a small sip of the espresso, trying not to wince.

"I'm glad you've decided to write the book," the Don smiled. "However, I don't want a single word of this getting out to the public. I've also arranged for protection," the Don assured. "Discretely of course."

"What sort of protection do we need?" Aria began to second-guess her decision already.

"Oh nothing to be too worried about. The Fitzgerald boy is dangerous, but my men will make certain he does not get within 100 yards of you. Of course, there'll be other Fitzgerald soldiers moving in soon that will have to be taken care of," the Don made a gruesome face as he said "Fitzgerald soldiers." Their organization was laughable in comparison to the Don's own family.

Liam glanced stone-faced at Aria, hoping to assuage her fear. Unfortunately Aria picked up on his fear which added to hers. The Don reached out with his meaty hands and squeezed their shoulders in reassurance. "Neither of you has anything to worry about."

"Will we have to move?" Aria managed to squeak out.

The Don laughed heartily. "Oh no, dear, this is not witness protection. Far more effective protection than that. Doing anything out of the ordinary will only arouse suspicion. You two will continue to commute as usual to Umbrella Publishing, working in your cubicles as usual and spending time outside of work as you had working on Ezra's book. No one will know Ezra's book got dropped. I've already made that clear with the media."

Aria looked at him stunned. She lifted her espresso cup to find it empty, though she couldn't recall having drank it. The meeting had grown so intense she was oblivious to the pure, dark roast espresso, and Aria was not one to drink any kind of black coffee.

"Well," the Don noticed her empty cup and called their waiter over. He arrived with three snifters and poured a healthy dose of cognac for each at the table. "Now that the protection is covered, let's get to business," the Don continued after a long sip of cognac. He leaned back and pulled a cigar from inside his jacket, offering one to Aria and Liam. Aria shook her head no but Liam accepted. The Don cut the tips and lit both cigars at once.

"How would you like the book to proceed?" the Don asked Aria. "I was thinking instead of strict chronological order, you could begin in the middle. Then as you proceed mixing in flashbacks. I will of course help with flashbacks from before your time. I think if we mix some old Fitzgerald history in with your memories we can operate from a position of surrealism. That sort of writing is far more powerful than strictly chronological story-telling."

"I agree," Aria began as the brandy warmed her throat and loosened her vocal chords. "The whole situation was very surreal to me, and I can't possibly imagine laying it out in chronological order."

"I think that's a great idea," Liam piped in. "

* * *

Meanwhile, the mayor of Boston welcomed Jason warmly into his office. There was a small woman with red hair and red eyes sitting on a couch.

"Jason, so good to see you," the mayor shook his hand firmly with a hi of a smile that was punctuated by the lady's sad eyes. "I'd like you to meet Elizabeth," he waved his arm to the woman.

Jason walked over to Elizabeth and took her hand softly in his, squeezing gently with reassurance as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jason DiLaurentis of the Carisimi Group," he said. Silence held the stage for a long beat.

The mayor cut back in, as Elizabeth was evidently too overwhelmed to speak. "We were just discussing Elizabeth's daughter Casey. Casey was a student at Boston Central, and two weeks ago she took her own life," the mayor spoke grimly. "Elizabeth is very interested in a middle and high school program that will enable adolescents to stand up for themselves in the face of adversity."

"My daughter was molested by her stepbrother Ashe for three years," Elizabeth spoke with a soft anger. "My ex-husband Brent and I shared joint custody of Casey and her two brothers Phil and Michael. Their step brother was a year older than Casey, was an only child and apparently his father had walked out on him when he was 2 years old. Ashe was about 6 inches taller than his mother at only 14. Had no real role model growing up, as if that is an excuse for what he did." Elizabeth scoffed and rolled her eyes angrily.

Jason smiled gently at the woman and squeezed her hand encouragingly as she began to shake. "Casey never told me anything about it. Phil mentioned to me that Casey and Ashe got along very well, almost too well he joked. Whenever she got home from her dad's house Casey seemed happy and bubbly, I always assumed it was because her stepmother took her shopping frequently. I felt that Casey preferred Edie's taste in clothing because I wasn't fashionable enough." Elizabeth began to cry. "Though maybe it was just to over-compensate for how she felt after being touched by Ashe. She didn't want anyone to know about it.

"I had no idea what really went on at their house. I heard rumors that Casey and Ashe had a bit of a romance going on, but Casey denied that. She said they were just friends, and it creeped her out to think of Ashe as anything more than that. I wish I had taken the rumors more seriously and approached her father about it, maybe I could have prevented her death?"

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Jason consoled her. "It sounds like Casey was a very strong girl, but one can only take so much bullying and abuse. My sister and her friends were bullied incessantly in high school by anonymous stalkers. I know one of them attempted suicide at least once."

Elizabeth smiled sadly. "I know my case is far from isolated. Teenage suicide has been on the rise in recent years. The cyber-world likely plays a large part in that. I'd like to use Casey's story to help open dialogue and reduce teenage suicide."

* * *

After Jason left the meeting, he called Aria immediately. Listening to the story of Casey and the abuse she'd kept hidden for years struck a chord. Knowing Ezra was out of jail make him even more scared for Aria.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" she asked as she excused herself from the table. "How did the meeting go?"

"It was intense," he replied. "How would you feel about going out tonight rather than eating take-out? I was thinking maybe that new Japanese fusion restaurant. The one that has vegan sushi?"

"Uhm, yeah, that sounds good," Aria said slowly, wondering how much longer she'd be. It was nearing 6 pm, and she'd been with Liam and the Don for a good 3 hours. "I'm still meeting with Don Puzo, but I can hop on the bus and meet you. Do you think we need a reservation?"

"I'll call and make a reservation for 7:30," he replied. "Where are you guys? I'll come meet you so you don't have to travel alone." Jason was very upset by the meeting he'd just gotten out of. Elizabeth had gone into details of Casey's suicide, and though he felt guilty and somewhat selfish about it, he could only think of Aria. What would he do if the whole Ezra thing got that far out of hand for her? Jason didn't want to let Aria out of his sight, and especially didn't want her to be travelling through the city by herself at night. Aria gave him the name of the café, and Jason arrived within 30 minutes. Aria was astonished to see Jason walk in and warmly greet Mr. Don Puzo as "Uncle Vito."

* * *

Ezra had been picked up outside Boston the previous Sunday afternoon when he arrived at the residence he shared with his girlfriend Maggie, their son Malcom and unborn child. Of course Ezra had bought a house with all the money he had from the first book as well as extra-lawful activities. He wanted to be close enough to the city that public transportation was freely available, but secluded enough to not have nosy neighbors. Maggie picked out a place in some Boston suburb that felt like Rosewood. The Rosewood of Massachusetts, the Rose-Mass, if you will.

FBI agents had surrounded their house and swarmed on the family as they stepped out of Ezra's BMW. Maggie looked on flabbergasted as Ezra denied any association with the Fitzgerald Theater Company Little Tykes League. Maggie quickly ushered Malcom into his bedroom and told him to stay put. Everything was just a misunderstanding. After returning outside, all Maggie could see was Ezra being shoved forcefully into the FBI van.

"No, don't! He's not what you think he is! He doesn't even associate with his family anymore!" Maggie screamed hysterically. It was all for naught, however. The FBI agents closed Ezra in the car and drove away.

Three days later, after calling Ezra's brother Wesley, Maggie had the money to bail Ezra out. He left the precinct with an ankle monitor, but Ezra knew enough well-meaning ex-felons that he could get out of it without a problem. In fact, Wesley had arranged for their family lawyer to meet them at Ezra's house to discuss the situation. From there, Ezra was sure he'd experience no hindrance from the child's play ankle monitor…


	11. Friday Smut

Welcome to the new followers! I'm glad there's still interest :). Reviews, favorites, follows encourage me to update quicker. This chapter is mostly smut, rather than convoluted plot development.

The alarm clock read 4:45 am, but Aria was wide awake. It was Friday and Hanna had planned an exciting weekend. In a little over 12 hours her brother & Mona would arrive, followed shortly by Hanna and Emily. It hadn't been long since the engagement party, but there was already so much to catch up on. Ezra's arrest. Aria's new book offer. Alison. Nobody knew why the hell she'd acted like such a colossal bitch at the engagement party.

Jason woke up to Aria rolling around in bed. His first instinct was she'd had yet another nightmare about Ezra. He rolled himself onto his side and reached an arm around his girlfriend to comfort her. When she turned around, Jason was surprised to see a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Good morning beautiful," he whispered. "What time is it?" Jason had a hard time reading the clock without his contacts in.

"It's early, but I'm too excited to sleep any more. And now that you're awake," she cooed with a sly grin and wink. She reached her arm across his body, feeling his strong shoulders then snaking her hands down his sides to his perfect ass, covered only by the thin material of his boxers. Jason moaned as he planted kisses along Aria's jawline, then down towards her perky breasts.

Aria writhed in pleasure under his warm mouth. He flicked his tongue across her right nipple then switched to the other side. She responded by reaching her hand around his ass to his erection that had popped out of the boxers. Aria deftly slipped one leg over Jason's body and rolled herself on top of him. She arched her back as she pulled herself up on all fours. Dropping her pelvis slightly she gyrated against Jason's erection with her silky panties. His hands caressed down her back and sides then hooked his thumbs into Aria's wet panties tugging them down. Aria quickly rolled off Jason and threw her panties against the wall. Jason pulled off his own boxers and dropped them onto the floor next to the bed.

Not wanting things to end too quickly, Jason rolled Aria onto her back and gently caressed the inside of her creamy thighs. He was too far out of Aria's grasp for her to touch him. Instead when Jason looked up at the goddess below him, he saw her massaging her own tits, eyes closed and moving desperately against his fingers.

"You alright up there?" he asked slyly as he replaced his fingers with his tongue. He repositioned himself between her legs and gently licked the spot where her legs connected to her torso.

"Oh my god Jason, I'm burning up! I need you inside me!" she responded almost incoherently. He responded by finding her clit with his tongue and sucking gently. Using two fingers he stroked her G-spot. It was not long before Aria was moaning in ecstasy, her hips bucking uncontrollably. Jason slowed his movements as she rode out her orgasm. He could feel his own erection ready to burst, as he moved up to kiss the exhausted brunette. Once she tasted herself on his mouth she wrapped her legs around his torso, and Jason couldn't hold back any longer.

"You're so fucking hot," he growled as he easily slipped his cock into her wet pussy. Reaching down he grabbed her thighs and she raised her ankles to his shoulders, intertwining her feet behind his neck. He rocked slowly, bringing Aria back to the brink of ecstasy.

"Oh Jason, I love your cock. Fuck me, harder!" Jason hadn't seen Aria this wound up since before he left for Ethiopia. It was like Aria had finally accepted Jason would not be leaving her again. He tried to hold back as long as he could, but it was too late.

"Oh fuck, Aria! I'm coming!" Jason let go which caused Aria to explode in orgasm once again.

* * *

At the end of the day, Jason pulls his car up to the curb outside Umbrella Publishing. Aria broke into a wide smile when she saw Jason. Occasionally she felt like she was dreaming, and hoped to never wake up.

"Hey Jason," Liam broke Aria from her thoughts as he greeted her boyfriend with a smile and a wave. Despite his feelings for Aria, Liam had taken a liking for Jason. Even though he wasn't the one to bring the wide smile to his coworker's face, Liam was glad to see her happy. Aria seemed less guarded around Liam now that she got to tell her story, rather than be forced to edit Ezra's delusion.

"Hey Liam, you coming out later?" Jason replied.

"Of course. What else would I do with myself on a Friday night?" Hanging out at the Skellar was a Friday night staple.

Aria jumped in the passenger seat and waved goodbye to Liam before planting a kiss on Jason's cheek. "Hi baby, I missed you," she cooed.

Jason turned and planted a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "I missed you too," he said with a smile before pulling onto the street. They managed to hit most of the stoplights just right, and made it home in less than 15 minutes.

When Aria and Jason walked into their apartment, they were greeted by Aria's brother Mike and his girlfriend Mona. Jason had worked from home half they day so he could be there when they arrived.

Mike greets Aria with a bear hug, and after she catches her breath she squeals with excitement to see Mona. Her relationship with her brother's girlfriend has been rocky since high school but seeing how happy Mona makes her brother, she can't help but take Mona into her life as a close friend.

Jason shakes Mike's hand brotherly and gives Mona a light hug. "Welcome to Boston." Aria had been living in the city for a little over a year and this was the first time Mike and Mona had visited her.

Aria quickly changed out of her work clothes into more casual, flashy Aria attire: lime green corduroys, a fitted orange and yellow striped top and traditional dark blue Chuck Taylors. Jason was in the kitchen making a small pitcher of Sangria for his guests. He'd become fairly domesticated after moving in with Aria. Though they both had busy schedules, Jason had a bit more freedom as he was the owner/CEO of the new Carisimi office. After seeing Aria crumpled on the airport floor in Philadelphia, he'd sworn to make her smile as often as possible.

Aria joined Jason on the kitchen side of the island and Mike and Mona were seated on the stools facing the kitchen. Aria picked up her glass, and rose it in a toast. Everyone else followed suit. "To family and a weekend of fun. Thanks for making the trip!" They all clinked glasses and took a large sip of Sangria.

"Jason, this is amazing!" Mona was impressed with his domestic abilities.

"Yeah, man," Mike chimed in, nodding his head approvingly. "Kudos."

* * *

"Hey Spence," Emily greeted her friend. "Hanna and I are stuck in mad-ass traffic on I-84. We're still in fuckin' Connecticut. We won't be getting in until after 7."

"Shit Em, that sucks. Connecticut is the worst. Don't worry though, I'll be close to home all night. The crew's all meeting up at the Skellar – the bar right below our apartment. When you get in to town, give me a call and I'll direct you to guest parking lot. The entrance is in the alley behind the Skellar, and I've left a pass for you with the lot attendant," Spencer replied. She could hear Hanna cursing the Masshole driver in front of them. "Tell Hanna to calm down," Spencer added with a snicker. "Yelling at them only makes it worse."

"Let me guess," Caleb spoke, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist from behind. "They're stuck in traffic."

"You bet, hopefully you didn't burn any brain cells figuring that one out," Spencer replied flirtatiously.

"How dare you?" Caleb played along with Spencer's sarcasm. "You're in trouble now." He easily lifted Spencer off the ground, then spun her around and threw her up over his shoulder.

Spencer mock screamed in fear, playing along with Caleb's game. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, don't punish me!" She reached down and started tickling Caleb's sides as he carried her into their bedroom.

"Now you're asking for it," Caleb growled as he threw Spencer down on their bed. Pulling her arms up over her head, he laid on top of her and nipped at her earlobe. Spencer responded with a loud moan and writhed under her fiancé. Caleb's lips found Spencer's and they smashed together as the two succumbed to their burning desire for the other.

Caleb let go of Spencer's wrists and wrapped one arm around her waist. Using his free hand, he massaged the woman's breast as they continued tongue wrestling. Spencer's hands pulled at Caleb's ass as she ground her pelvis into his leg. She could feel his hardness through his pants. Their kiss broke long enough for Spencer to lift his shirt up over his head. She ran her hands over his rock-hard abs, growing more excited by the second, heat burning between her legs. Once his shirt was off, Caleb returned the favor and pulled Spencer's up over her head to reveal a black lace bra and flat stomach. He nuzzled his face in between her perky breasts, gently nipping and sucking at her hardening nipples. Spencer arched her back in approval and began tugging at Caleb's belt, deftly unbuckling it and his jeans.

Caleb responded by returning his mouth to Spencer's pulling at her tongue. He reached his hands around her back and Spencer sat up enough for Caleb to unbuckle her bra. For a dude, Caleb was surprisingly efficient at the task. Within moments they tore eachother's clothes off, and Spencer rolled herself forcefully on top of Caleb.

"Consider this payback," Spencer whispered in his ear, nibbling at his earlobe, which drove Caleb crazy. However, now Spencer had the upper hand. She held his arms above his head, preventing him from touching her. Then she lowered herself gently, taking only the tip of his erection into her wetness, and swaying her hips back and forth.

"I'm gonna lose it soon if you don't stop, Spence," Caleb moaned. "I need all of you."

On the verge of losing herself as well, Spencer dropped her hips to take Caleb's impressive cock all the way inside. Breaking his arms free, Caleb brought his fingers to Spencer's sensitive clit and moved in slow circles. As Spencer increased her rocking on Caleb's erection, he increased the speed of his fingers. Within seconds they broke into a screaming mutual orgasm. Spencer's limp body fell onto Caleb's chest as they came back to earth.

"That was amazing," Spencer murmured as she melted into Caleb's chest.

a/n: I hope you liked this! I struggle to update regularly, and thought it would be fun to make a super-smutty chapter. Let me know what you think!


	12. Rosewood at the Skellar

A/N: Sorry for such a long lag time in updating. *Insert lame excuse here* Thank you to all the new followers – you've encouraged me to keep going. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for my character's mocking of autism. It's not a condition to be made fun of, by my character is kind of an asshole.

* * *

After the return of Jason DiLaurentis, Liam grew shy and withdrawn. Aria could barely recognize him somedays. It looked like he wasn't sleeping, and smelled like he was drinking heavily. In an attempt to assuage her guilt at Liam's downfall, Aria suggested he take Robin out to dinner. When Liam arrived to work the next morning with a shit-eating grin on his face, Aria knew he'd scored. Liam wasn't quite back to himself, per se, but he was no longer in despair. Aria could hold both friendly and professional conversations with him without feeling like she was twisting a dagger in his heart. Now, ever since that first date, Robin and Liam had been practically inseparable.

One Friday evening, when the Rosewood crew was descending upon Boston, Robin and Liam were the first to arrive at the Skellar. They grabbed their usual spot and toasted each other with a glass of single-malt scotch. Both had been frustratingly single for so long, they felt like teenagers embarking on an unknown journey. Everyone found it surprising how easily Robin, practically the female equivalent of Barney, had fallen into a relationship. Their second date was to a Bruins vs. Canucks game, Liam had managed to score floor seats, solidified their bond instantaneously.

Moments after they downed the scotch, Ted walked in, rocking his birth-control red cowboy boots, followed by Barney. Carl at the bar poured them a pitcher of Sam Adams and handed them two glasses a piece. Ted and Barney joined Robin and Liam, and Ted poured a round of beer.

"How are the two new love birds doing?" Barney asked as he made a crude gagging gesture. Barney never made a habit of seeing his prey outside of the bedroom. Though he'd never admit it, Barney was partially jealous. To him Robin was an enigma, the only woman he'd consider his sexual equal, the only woman he'd failed to get into bed. How in the world had she fallen for this boring book editor type?

"We're kickin' ass and takin' names, Bonnie and Clyde style," Liam replied. "You want next on the list buddy?" Liam pounded his fist into his hand for theatrical effect. Barney just rolled his eyes. At that moment, Marshall and Lilly walked in holding hands – as if to continue mocking Barney with coupleness. They stopped at the bar to pick up two more glasses and two more pitchers of beer.

"Ted," Barney announced loudly, "I need you to step up your wing-man game tonight. The air of relationship is suffocating. The only cure for that is a one-night stand with some hot chick I'll never see again. Here's the story - you're my autistic brother who's too shy to talk to pretty girls. That'll put their guards down and I can swoop in to quell the animalistic desire they get from talking to you. Some poor, shy, autistic fellow that has a hard time meeting girls will bring out the motherly instinct in the female persona. They won't want to take advantage of you, but will rather have a strong masculine presence to fulfill the void you open in their hearts. Well-played breaking out the boots again my disabled friend."

"Oh my god Barney, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Lilly spat as she sat down at the table. Then changing her tone, "where's everyone else? I thought Marshall and I were late."

Moments later, the front door opened and Aria, Jason, Mike and Mona walked into the Skellar, spotting their friends immediately. Suspiciously, however, Spencer and Caleb were missing.

"They're probably passed out again," Aria murmured. A look of concern flashed across Mona's face.

"Caleb's dick is going to fall off soon if they keep up at the pace they're going," Jason ambiguously explained. Mike snickered. "Also, they're probably waiting for Hanna and Emily."

As if on cue, Caleb and Spencer walked through the side door into the bar, followed by Emily and Hanna. Aria quirked her eyebrows at Hanna, whose buzzed antics could be spotted a mile away.

"Rough drive, Han?" Aria asked, knowing what sort of hell they must've sat through on I-84 through Connecticut.

"The traffic was atrocious," Emily spoke for her girlfriend. "Hanna needed something to knock off the edge before we came down. Caleb broke out his Jager for the occasion." Emily shook her head slowly, knowing what sort of evening Caleb had set up her girlfriend for.

"Well, now that everyone's here," Spencer began almost giddily, "we should have a toast!" Spencer signaled Wendy the waitress and whispered a drink order. A few minutes later Wendy returned with a tray full of light red-colored shots.

"Don't tell me you ordered Shirley Temples," Barney groaned. "This is why we never let the ladies do the ordering." Then as an aside, "Robin doesn't count as a lady because she has impeccable taste in scotch, among other reasons." Barney's sexual frustration at not being able to get Robin into bed resulted in innumerable lesbian and sexual identity references.

"They're Swedish Fish," Spencer ignored Barney's comment matter-of-factly. "Blackhaus and cranberry juice. Bottoms up!"

Everyone picked up their shot, toasted each other, slammed it on the table and knocked it back. It went down smoothly, tasting just like the candy.

In order to fit everyone around one table, Caleb and Marshall pushed three tables together in the middle of the bar and rearranged the chairs. Carl at the bar gave them a wary eye, but as his best customers, he let them rearrange. "You guys are putting those back before you leave tonight, or I cut you off for a week." Caleb raised an eyebrow at Marshall as if to say _Like that would ever happen._

* * *

About two more drinks in, once all the pleasantries and small talk had been worked through, the topic turned to the engagement party shenanigans.

"So what the fuck's the deal with that Fitz guy?" Robin asked Aria. Surely Liam had given her some insight into Aria's previous relationship. "Liam told me he was an ass to work with, but an underground child porn ring? That's leagues below asshole."

"Oh, where do I even begin," Aria asked rhetorically, as she shook her head with eyes closed.

"She fucked him for over a year when he was her English teacher," Hanna slurred. Of course everyone heard those rumors but the comment was a bit too crass, even for Hanna.

"Hanna, no," Emily scolded as she took Hanna's beer out of her hand. "You sound just like – "

"There's a lot more to the story," Jason cut Emily off before she could tell Hanna she sounded like Alison.

Aria took a long sip of beer to calm her nerves and gather her thoughts. "Ezra and I agreed it would be best to split up before I went to college. He didn't want me to miss out the way I had in high school. But after my sophomore year I was out with Noel and ran into Ezra. He was drunk, flipped out and called me a slut, among many other things," Aria gave a brief overview of what she had assumed led Ezra to begin stalking her in Savannah. "Apparently he wasn't over me, and he absolutely hated Noel. There was nothing serious, we were just hanging out." Aria looked nervously at Jason, worried the mention of Noel might strike a wrong cord.

"Noel?" Hanna raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"It was just a short fling," Aria replied off-handedly. "Nothing serious. It just so happened we had a lot in common after the first couple years away from Rosewood. Though it turns out Ezra has a jealous streak. A few weeks into my junior year Ezra showed up in Savannah on a weekend my roommate was gone."

Jason put his arm reassuringly around his girlfriend as he sensed her anxiety mounting. Liam offered a supportive smile. Spencer and Aria shared a look that indicated Spencer could take the story from here.

"Lousy sonofabitch sexually assaulted Aria," Spencer announced with disgust. "She had to take out a PFA against him, but that didn't hold jurisdiction outside the state of Georgia. When he proposed another novel to Umbrella Publishing, they obviously jumped at the chance. His first book made them a ton of money. Ezra said he'd only work with Aria," Spencer continued before Liam jumped in.

"Aria told me what happened with Ezra, and that's why I moved into her apartment when Spencer moved out. His happy family act didn't fool me, and when we worked on his book he was psychologically abusive. It was only a matter of time before the physical abuse would begin."

Mike's eyes turned to stone. "Ezra did what?" he said with an unnerving intensity.

"Can we just drop it?" Aria buried her head in Jason's shoulder. Jason rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her head.

"How 'bout another Swedish Fish?" Marshall jumped in to derail the trip down nightmare lane. "Wendy! Another round of Fish!"

It was going to be a long night….


	13. Dress Shopping

_I'm back with another (longer) update. I'm not sure how I felt about the last chapter – it was written for months and I kind of wanted to post it just to get myself back in the groove. I had a crazy summer (insert necessary excuse here) and a major bout of writer's block. Anyway, I'm back and hopefully will not disappear for so long next time. Without further ado…._

Spencer rolled over to look at the clock. _6:03_. They'd only gone to sleep about 4 hours ago. Caleb rolled over, muttering about his growing headache. She'd had only 4 hours of sleep but Spencer's internal alarm clock would not let her go back to sleep. Sighing softly, she kissed Caleb's shoulder. "I'll go get you some Advil sweetie," she whispered.

Spencer set her feet down on the cool floor and stood up slowly. Though she didn't have any sort of massive headache, there was a dense fog surrounding her brain. She noticed Emily and Hanna fast asleep in the spare bedroom, a tangle of limbs and sheets. At least they'd been quiet – rumor had it that Hanna was normally quite the screamer. But that was neither here nor there, as Spencer really didn't like to think of Hanna and Caleb together. Guilt plagued her when they'd first gotten together, and though it had waned, Spencer still felt uneasy when Caleb and Hanna were around each other. Hanna and Caleb had split up years before, and Hanna assured Spencer everything was cool between them, and that Hanna had never felt as happy as she was with Emily.

Spencer retrieved the aforementioned Advil from the bathroom, a glass of water from the kitchen and returned to her bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. Caleb was not fully asleep, nor was he fully awake, as he lay on his side facing away from the door.

Spencer placed the glass of water and Advil on the night table and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently she reached around her fiancé and felt the muscles on his bare chest. As she began kissing his neck, Caleb rolled onto his back. Spencer swung her feet up onto the bed and laid the top half of her body against his. As she continued kissing his neck, her right hand reached down the length of his torso and found his morning wood. Caleb responded by wrapping his arms around Spencer and grabbing her ass. Spencer could feel moisture pooling in her panties as she stretched her leg over Caleb's and shifted her weight to straddle him.

Caleb was now fully awake. He gently moved his hands from Spencer's ass up the sides of her torso, lifting her shirt as he went. Spencer ground herself seductively onto Caleb's hardening erection as she pulled her shirt off. Caleb reached up and rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. When Spencer began to moan, Caleb pulled her down into a kiss.

Spencer maneuvered herself out of her shorts and panties, then shifted her focus to Caleb's boxers. She rolled off briefly while Caleb kicked them off. Caleb pulled Spencer back on top of him and she responded by lifting her ass in the air. She shifted her hips down just enough to get the tip of Caleb's hard-on wet. He moaned in protest, but Spencer just smiled. She loved teasing him like that.

Spencer only got a few more dips in before she felt Caleb's hands grasp her ass and pull her forcefully down onto him. She moaned in pleasure, enjoying every inch of hardon. Caleb reached down and swirled his thumb across Spencer's clit as she rocked back and forth. In the past few months they'd learned just how to please the other. It was only a matter of minutes before both of them exploded in mutual climax, coming together as One.

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Aria jumps out of bed upon hearing the coffeemaker beep. She'd remembered to set up the coffeepot and turn on the timer so that the coffee would be ready as soon as she woke up. Knowing what a jam-packed weekend she had planned, Aria was smart enough to slow down her drinking and chug a bunch of water before passing out. Most everyone else, however, was not so wise.

As Aria bent down to pick up her pajama pants from the floor she heard the bed creak slowly. Knowing she had captured Jason's attention she wiggled her ass seductively. Jason moaned approval. Aria turned around and licked her lips in approval of Jason's bare chest and erection peeking out from his boxers. Very slowly Aria leaned over and began planting kisses from Jason's belly button up the side of his jaw. Jason reached around her side, gently grazing her breasts. When he got to her ass and tried to pull her on top of him Aria coyly turned to the side.

"We have company out there," she said teasingly in a quiet sing-song voice, fully enjoying the effect she had on Jason. Ever since they got back together she's felt like a giddy schoolgirl around him. It was as if she was living a dream. The moment was broken, however, when Aria heard the tell-tale moan of her hungover brother.

"Mike, be quiet!" Mona stage-whispered. "Your sister and Jason are still sleeping."

"Uhhhh," Mike continued moaning, albeit at a lower volume.

Aria giggled softly as she turned back to Jason and kissed him on the cheek. "Time to get up Sweetie, I'll go pour you a cup of coffee. Come on out when this goes down," she added with a wicked grin, gently patting his erection.

"You're so evil," Jason replied with mock anger as he drank in Aria's natural beauty. Even first thing in the morning after a night of drinking she managed to look almost angelic. He couldn't believe his luck at getting back together with her any more than she could.

"I know, but you love it," Aria flashed him her beautiful smile before sauntering out into the living room, shaking her hips seductively. "Good morning Sunshine," she called into the guest bedroom. Mike was not amused.

Aria walked into the kitchen, pulled out coffee mugs and poured one for Jason, Mona, Mike and herself. She heard Mona telling Mike he better not fall back asleep. Moments later Mona emerged from the guest room wearing a Rosewood lacrosse T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her brother's girlfriend was also wise enough not to over-indulge – likely because Mike was drinking more than enough for both of them.

"So maid-of-honor," Mona asked with a chipper voice, "what've you got planned for today?" Despite all that Mona had gone through in high school with Aria and her friends, she'd grown to love them all in the past year that she'd been dating Mike.

"Well first, we're going to drink this much-needed coffee," Aria chirped. During her time living with Spencer she'd developed quite the coffee addiction. "Then we'll pick up some bagels and head over to Spencer's to look at the designs Hanna brought for Spencer's dress."

"Oh my god, I can't wait to see the look on Spencer's face! Hanna gave me a preview of the designs, and even let me create a design of my own." Mona worked sort of as Hanna's apprentice in her growing design business. There was definitely some awkward power struggle between the friends, but Mona took it all in stride.

"That's so awesome!" Aria gushed. She was so excited about planning Spencer's wedding you'd almost think she was planning her own. Aria had recently begun dreaming of her own wedding, presumably with Jason, though she was very careful not to admit that to anyone. She didn't want to break the love spell.

"Then after we go through the wedding dress designs I've made appointments at two bridal shops in the area. Spencer wants to pick out the bridesmaid dresses while everyone is here together," Aria continued.

"Spencer is going with navy blue and silver, right?" Mona verified nervously. She'd incorporated a touch of color in her dress design and was getting paranoid she'd gotten the colors mixed up. It was extremely nerve-wracking to create a dress design for Type-A Spencer.

"She sure is," Aria confirmed with a wide smile.

At that moment Jason and Mike drug themselves into the kitchen. Jason exhibited signs of mild hangover, but Mike was obviously in pain. He was still moaning, and rubbing his head dramatically. Mona rolled her eyes and Aria grabbed a bottle of Advil. She placed a pill for each of the guys on kitchen island and poured them a glass of water.

"You're the best, sis," Mike mumbled. Now it was Aria's turn to roll her eyes.

"So what are the guys going to do?" Mona asked.

"That's Jason and Caleb's department. I know Barney suggested laser tag, as he always does, but I'm pretty sure that idea got shot down," Aria snickered as Mike laid his head down on the counter.

* * *

A couple hours later, Jason and Mike walked with Aria and Mona up to Caleb and Spencer's apartment. Spencer welcomed her friends in as Caleb embraced her from behind on his way outside. "I love you baby, enjoy your planning," he told her as he ushered Jason and Mike away from the door.

"Caleb, wait! Where are you going?" Spencer called after her fiancé. "Don't forget we have a dinner reservation at 7 pm!"

"Spencer, please," Barney cut in as he, Ted and Marshall walked up to the door. "We've got things under control," then turning to Ted and Marshall he stage-whispered, "Caleb might as well kiss goodbye to his manhood now." Apparently Spencer's fierce personality made Barney feel uncomfortable. Probably due to the size of his ego – surely he was insecure about something. Barney means well, and everyone enjoys his humor at least some times, so everyone put up with his crassness.

"Don't worry Sweetie," Caleb cut in. "We'll be there." He finished with a smile, trying to assure Spencer she had nothing to worry about. Of course with Barney around there was _always_ something to worry about, but Spencer had bigger fish to fry.

Mona and Aria made their way into Spencer's apartment and were astonished by the scene before them. Spencer's apartment was never anything but neat and tidy. Hanna, however, was the antithesis of Spencer when it came to tidiness. Sketches were chaotically strewn about the carpet in the living room. In the midst of the mess sat the brilliant designer, with a tape measure in her hand and a pencil behind her ear.

"Oh my god," Aria exclaimed. "What the hell happened in here?!"

Mona chuckled as she shook her head. "This is pretty much par for the course. Tidiness cramps Hanna's creativity, or something like that."

Emily nodded her head in agreement. There was a knock at the door and Spencer opened it for Robin and Lilly. Robin's blood pressure when right up the same tree as Spencer's and Lilly felt more at ease than she'd ever felt at Spencer's. As a kindergarten teacher and fellow artist, her creativity was likewise crushed by tidiness.

Spencer passed around sparkling water and the girls sat down on the carpet to look at Hanna's sketches. Though she'd never admit it, Spencer was getting a wee bit overwhelmed. Wedding dresses, guest list, venue, music, decorations, bridal shower…there was just way too much to fret about. Of course, the pressure was high to do everything just right, and as it was, she was on the top of her sister's shit list for getting married first – aside from the fact she was marrying one of her best friends' ex. Everything about her wedding was a touchy subject with her sister. Her mind felt like it was on the verge of exploding about 90% of the time these days. But she still managed to hold up a steady front, thanks to years of practice. After about an hour of looking through a pile of intricate sketches, she'd managed to narrow her choices from 8 down to 3. One of those was Mona's design, but of course, even if she liked Mona's design the most she could never choose that one over Hanna's.

In the end Spencer chose the mermaid style dress with a silvery sequined bodice Hanna had designed, and the veil that went with Mona's design. The dress was fitted to complement Spencer's tall thin frame, and the texture gave a fuller appearance to her lack of hips. The veil was simple yet elegant. The hair piece was a small clip of navy blue flowers. There were two layers of tulle, sparkly and slivery-white. Light would reflect off the sparkles, creating a shimmering glow to her head. A perfect precursor to an explosion Spencer figured.

Once the details of the dress were ironed out, Hanna told Spencer strip to her skivvies to get measured. Feigning prudishness, Spencer insisted on going into her bedroom to get mostly naked. She knew she was on the verge of a meltdown. Hanna of course made a big deal about sighing and rolling her eyes, then followed Spencer into her bedroom. Though when Hanna walked into Spencer's bedroom, she understood why she had insisted on privacy.

Spencer was on the side of the bedroom furthest from the door, hunched down with her hands on her knees. Hanna could see her shoulders heaving unsteadily, and heard her friend trying not to hyperventilate.

"Oh, Spencer, honey," she said as she walked quickly over and put her hands on her friend's back. "It's ok, everyone gets overwhelmed planning for their wedding."

"But, it just feels weird, you know?" Spencer managed to get out between shaky breaths. "Me marrying Caleb, and you designing the most beautiful wedding dress. I would hate me if I was you," Spencer wiped a tear from her eye.

"I could never hate you, Spence. I admit it was kind of weird when you two go together, but then it was probably a little weird when me and Em got together," Hanna replied soothingly. "Caleb is a great guy, I loved spending time with him, but it just never felt right. I tried to tell myself that _I_ was just being paranoid but no matter what I told myself, I honestly never felt complete when I was with him."

Spencer wiped her tears away and looked at Hanna. "Do you really mean that? You're not just saying it?"

"Of course I'm not just saying it sweetie. I still love Caleb, I always will, but I'm not _in love_ with him," Hanna replied. "Besides, I'm with Emily now, and couldn't be happier. Now give me a hug and put your proud Spencer Hastings face on and let me feel you up – I mean, measure you," Hanna chuckled when Spencer quirked her eyebrows.

"Thanks, Han," Spencer replied, hugging her friend. Though not totally calm, she felt as if a weight she was unaware of had been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

"So we have an appointment at Hope's Bridal first – that's the one across town. Then our next appointment is at Black-Tie Affair," Aria told the girls.

Hanna scoffed jokingly. "Black-Tie Affair? That sounds like a place for evening dresses, not bridesmaid dresses."

"I thought it would be fun to think outside the box a little bit," Aria pretended to be offended. She knew it was a bit untraditional, but it fit her eccentric personality just fine. There was a beautiful purple gown in the window that had caught Aria's eyes one afternoon, and she had an epiphany about her own wedding dress. White was just too traditional for Aria and her eccentric, counter-culture style. That purple gown would be just perfect for her, but, of course, she wasn't thinking about that right now. And besides, the sales guy she set up the appointment with sounded just delightful.

"I think that sounds fun," Lilly threw in her two cents nervously. Though Spencer, Aria, Robin and Lilly were all close, the girls from Boston were a little intimidated by Hanna and Emily.

"She's right," Emily spoke up. "It'll be fun. Maybe you can even schmooze with the buyer there. It'll be a good way to drum up some business."

"Ooooh, that's a great idea," Spencer said. "You should bring a couple of these designs! Of course, not the one I chose, but a few of the other ones. That way you can keep their sales people busy while we shop. I hate when people follow me around a store and try to tell me what I'm looking for."

The girls finished their water and nibbled on the bagels Aria and Mona had bought. No one dared eat an entire bagel though, because who wants to feel bloated when trying on dresses? Aria hadn't thought through all the details as Spencer would have – that'd cramp the smaller brunette's style too much. After Hanna had chosen which designs to take, the girls headed out into the street to wait for their Uber.

Hope's Bridal was a small store that smelled faintly like lilacs. The saleslady who greeted them at the door introduced herself as Gretchen. Gretchen was apparently the source of the lilac aroma, and Spencer had to do her best not to make a scene out of coughing.

"I'm the one that called on Monday about scheduling a few bridesmaids to try on dresses?" Aria nervously introduced herself in the form of a question.

"Oh, right! You must be the bride," Gretchen gushed. The registers in her saleslady mind were turning rapidly.

"Actually, that would be me," Spencer said rather loudly, diverting the sales lady's attention.

Gretchen looked a bit flustered, but quickly recovered. "Oh, of course. Your maid of honor must have booked the appointment. I'm around so many brides I have a permanent case of wedding brain! Tell me about your color scheme! Have _you_ found a dress yet?"

Right off the bat this saleslady did not sit well with Spencer. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am having a dress custom-made. My friend Hanna here is a designer." Spencer was trying to deflect the attention from herself in any way possible.

"Oh, that's just adorable!" Gretchen replied with a syrupy smile and condescending tone, obviously avoiding any questions about Spencer's _designer friend_. "Well we just got in this new Vera Wang gown that would look exquisite on your frame. Why not give it a try?"

Spencer looked like she was about to explode. Aria pulled her down a row of vibrantly-colored dresses to get her away from Gretchen. Lilly, Robin and Emily all stood frozen in place. The situation was palpably awkward.

"Aria, I can't handle this," Spencer managed angrily between forced breaths. "Let's get out of here. Gretchen is an enormous bitch, and I don't want any of you wearing anything that has been drenched in lilac aroma."

With that, Spencer turned swiftly and made a bee-line for the door. The other girls quickly followed Spencer out the door and then headed over to Black Tie Affair.

The girls were greeted by a delightful salesman dressed handsomely in a charcoal polo and skinny black jeans with purple suede dress shoes.

"Oh, there you are!" he cried, as if he'd been waiting for them all morning. "I'm Nicholas, and I'm here to accentuate your fabulousness!"

As soon as she'd called to make the appointments, Aria knew they would have better luck at Black Tie Affair. Gretchen at Hope's Bridal was pushy on the phone, barely letting Aria tell her about the bride, before she started talking about their new designer dresses up in the window. Nicholas on the other hand just loved helping his customers find trendy new clothes that would express their personality.

Spencer was taken aback for half a moment, then relaxed into a smile. "Hi, I'm Spencer," she stepped up to shake Nicholas's hand. He clasped it in both hands, then pulled it up to kiss the back of it.

"And I'm honored to help your wedding party," he replied. Spencer's smile broadened as she realized Aria probably arranged for shopping at this place after dealing with Gretchen over the phone.

"So tell me what you have in mind, Spencer. Are you thinking all the same style, or all the same fabric, or just all the same color?" Nicholas asked. Spencer was happy to find he wanted to listen to her opinion rather than give it to her.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it too much. I guess I'll know when I see it?" Spencer had honestly no idea what she wanted the bridesmaids to wear. It was intimidating walking into a store with so many choices and trying to imagine what would look best on everyone.

"Of course. Tell me about your dress. I heard you got it custom-made?" Nicholas replied, excited to hear all about Spencer and what Spencer wanted.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. My friend Hanna here designed it," Spencer told him, pointing to Hanna. "And Mona designed the veil," she pointed towards Mona as well.

Hanna stepped forward and pulled some pages out of her purse. "I brought the design with me, tell me what you think," Hanna said nervously.

"Oh my god, this is delightful! I love the texture, and the veil? I love that pop of color! You girls are so talented!" Nicholas was almost like a little kid on Christmas morning. He reminded Spencer of Aria.

"Well, down these two aisles are the official "black tie" styles – available only in black of course. Over here you'll find the silks and satins and on the other side of the dressing rooms you'll find the tulle. I'll go grab you a book of colors for each material, and let you have a look around. When you find the right size and style to try on, bring it over to this rack. We don't have room to keep each size of each color of each style in house, but when you find a style and size that fit we can order from any of the colors," Nicholas paused briefly to answer questions, and hearing none he breezed away to fetch the color books. The girls were impressed with the surprisingly vast array of styles. It was like a hidden gem of a bridesmaid store – so much better than the big box stores.

Spencer's bridesmaids set off down the tulle aisle, as Hanna suggested that fabric would best compliment Spencer's dress. Nicholas returned with color books and a glass of champagne for Spencer. "You look nervous honey, come have a seat and relax," Nicholas said, turning down his volume and excitement as he deemed the situation required.

Spencer wasted no time flopping down in a cozy arm chair in the middle of a circle of dressing rooms. The champagne bubbles tickled her throat, and the alcohol on a mostly-empty stomach eased the frayed edges of her mind quite nicely. The girls bounced back and forth between modeling dresses for Spencer and adjusting sizes. Robin jumped in to help organize the dresses and size changes in the background so Spencer could just relax and judge the best of the best. About 2 hours and 3 flutes of champagne later, Spencer found a dress style that flattered each of the bridesmaids. All the girls would wear the same, off-the-shoulder dress with a high waist and just-above-the-knee length.

After the bridesmaid dresses were ordered, the girls stopped for a late afternoon drink before meeting back up with the guys for dinner. Spencer was visibly more relaxed. Haven chosen both a dress for herself and for her bridesmaids was another thing to check off her list. And of course the champagne helped with that too.

"So Emily," began Robin, "you were once engaged to Jason's sister? You're so nice, surely she can't have always been as rude as when we met her. What happened?"

"Oh, where do I begin?" Emily asked rhetorically. "I thought Alison was the love of my life. I'd been in love with her in high school, and was devastated when she disappeared. I was sure she'd never feel the same, but somehow she did, or at least told me she did.

"We broke up before I left for college. Then somehow when we returned to Rosewood for her sister Charlotte's trial, we got back together," Emily tried to keep an even voice, but everything that had happened with her ex left a very bad taste in her mouth and induced severe panic. She got so upset she could barely follow a coherent timeline.

"But then after Alison gave birth to their twins," Hanna jumped in, "she became a psycho controlling bitch."

"How did she get pregnant?" Lilly asked.

"Good question," Hanna said coldly.

"Well, I had donated my eggs just before we got back together because I needed the money. Then the family that was going to use them backed out last minute. Ali said I should save then. Then she had the idea of getting them fertilized, and carrying the baby herself. It seemed like a good way to start a family – then we'd both be biological parents," Emily explained. "Something about the whole situation never sat well with me though."

"What do you mean?" Lilly replied.

"Well we had discussed the idea, but not seriously. Then all of a sudden she got frantic about having the procedure right away," Emily began treading on very thin ice. The whole situation was beyond upsetting.

"Why did she get so frantic all of a sudden?" Robin asked.

"I think she was already pregnant when she went all gung-ho about getting Emily's eggs fertilized," Hanna jumped in. This was a very sore subject for her as well.

"What makes you think that?" This was all news to Aria. She'd been so caught up in her own life after Ezra's attack she had all but lost touch with her friends for a few years. Then after Charlotte's trial, when Jason left for Ethiopia, she fell apart again.

"There were a lot of rumors going around about Ali. Remember how Mr. DiLaurentis passed away during our first year of college?" Hanna asked. The girls slowly nodded their heads.

"Well it looked like an accident but then the police got an anonymous tip that it wasn't an accident. Very far-fetched it seemed, but the DiLaurentis family is certainly ripe with drama," Hanna threw in snide comments about her girlfriend's ex, her former best friend, whenever possible. "Well Rosewood's finest launched some sort of 'investigation'" Hanna added air quotes, "and Lorenzo was the lead detective on the case. The trail went cold for a few years then somehow someone found new evidence and the case was magically opened back up. Ali got obsessed with getting to the bottom of things and spent more time with Lorenzo than with Em."

"And then suddenly she wanted to get my eggs fertilized immediately," Emily was trying to breathe calmly but Aria noticed an impending panic attack; she'd certainly suffered enough of them to recognize the symptoms miles away. Aria stood up, walked over to Emily and began rubbing her back gently. Hanna held her girlfriend's hand and shot an appreciative smile to Aria.

"Wow," Robin and Lilly were both stunned. "So you just went along with it?" Robin continued softly. She knew this was a tough subject, but the story was certainly gripping.

Emily exhaled loudly. "I didn't think I had much choice. Ali was always so hot and cold. She seemed really excited about starting a family, and I guess I just thought if I didn't go along with it she'd drop me like a wet rag." Emily let out a pent up sob, and Hanna wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Emily buried her face in Hanna's shoulder.

"That's awful," Lilly chimed in, stunned by the absurdity of it all.

"Well, it seemed like Ali had turned a new leaf. After the _procedure_ ," Emily put procedure in air quotes, "Alison was the picture-perfect almost wife. At least until the hormones kicked in. I had no idea what it was like to be pregnant, and Alison managed to use that against me. Always guilting me into doing things for her. I just assumed it'd be better once the twins were born."

"Sounds like she was just leading you on," Robin replied softly.

"It was kind of awful to watch," Spencer said. "I felt torn because I'd been good friends with both of them but I didn't want to get into the middle. I wish I had known how bad things had gotten for Emily."

"Luckily she had me," Hanna jumped back in. "There were so many nights Emily felt she had no one to turn to. Alison kicked her out on more than one occasion if Emily did something that even remotely upset her. Staying with Pam was never an option, of course, so Emily always called me."

"Hanna's the best thing that happened to me since I'd gotten back together with Alison," Emily replied. "I love you baby," she said, turning to kiss Hanna's smiling lips.

"Awww," the other girls said in unison.

"Well it seems like it worked out for both of you," Lilly said. "I didn't particularly care for Alison at Spencer and Caleb's engagement party. So, cheers to finding true love!"

"I'll drink to that!" Spencer replied enthusiastically.

Everyone else raised their glasses and toasted Emily and Hanna. "To love!"

Robin decided it was a good time to change the subject. "So Aria, what's your plan for the book you mentioned?"

"Well I don't have specifics yet, but my boss Jillian wants me to tell my story about Ezra," Aria replied. "I've got such a long history with him, and a very unique view point."

"That sounds potentially dangerous," Spencer chimed in. "What if your story somehow implicates you with his child-porn ring?"

"Spencer, no!" Hanna cried. "Aria's publisher would never let that happen. Her story will just provide additional evidence that Ezra was a creep. Always telling her he loved her, but at the same time hiding her out in his apartment. I feel like _I_ could write an exposé on our former teacher, Aria can tear what little shred of humanity the public perceives into pieces."

"Then there's the other thing…" Aria began. Spencer quirked her eyebrows, unsure where this was going. She'd been so wrapped up in her planning that she realized she hadn't had a chance to really talk to Aria about all the Ezra stuff.

"Jason knows the guy financing the book. He called him 'Uncle Vito' when they met. But Jillian introduced him to me as Don. Don Puzo. He knows Ezra's family from way back – the Fitgeralds were notorious….somethings?" Aria ended her statement as a question.

"Vito, that's an interesting name," Lilly interjected.

"My old roommate had an Uncle Vito," Mona added. "I guess it's some kind of common Sicilian nickname."

"I wonder why we've never heard of him before," Spencer said. "I used to think we knew everything about each other but Ali certainly hid a lot."

"Well I kind of got the impression from Jason that his father had a bit of a falling out with that Don/Vito guy. Maybe that's why we never heard of him?" Aria replied.

"So has this Don/Vito guy offered any information on Ezra's family?" Emily was intrigued and happy to not be discussing her ex anymore.

"Nothing yet," Aria replied. "We haven't gotten into any details about the book, other than it's happening. I'm meeting with him Monday morning."

"Oh shit," Spencer interjected. She knew her friends all needed a distraction from the conversations about ugly parts of their past. "Look at the time! We'd better head over to meet the guys for dinner. Caleb will never let me forget it if I'm the one that's late."

 _A/N: I hope the conversations at the end weren't too rushed or awkward. I've struggled to get back into the story after taking so much time away. I wanted to lay out a bunch of background, and I may have created too many characters. I have a very hard time sticking to a single story line._

 _On another note, I'm planning to start a new fic that will be entirely about Aria's book. That story is so convoluted it needs its own platform. If you have any ideas or questions or other thoughts, leave a comment or PM. I'd love to hear from you!_


	14. Bachelorette Party

How it should've been Chapter 14 Bachelorette Party

A/N: I've been battling severe writer's block (yadda, yadda, yadda) and the biggest challenge I have is over-thinking things. I have so many different plot lines criss-crossed in my mind, half-spewed ideas strewn hell-west and crooked throughout my apartment and hard drive, I don't even know where one story ends and the next one begins. I have severe anxiety about getting facts backwards of plot lines out of order, and it's so severe it makes writing stressful. Anyhoo, I'm rambling.

* * *

It was down to two weeks before Spencer & Caleb say "I do." Spencer's mind was full-on racing 110% of the time. Veronica's insistence on hiring a wedding planner caused more problems than it solved. Somehow, Melissa had convinced Veronica it was necessary. Cori was a nice girl, a little crazy sometimes, but completely _not_ necessary. Hanna had a mild meltdown when Cori showed up to the caterer's. Spencer went along with the wedding planner because she was sick of fighting with Melissa every step of the way. Melissa did not take well to not being in the wedding party, and so she inserted herself wherever possible. Melissa insisted that Spencer's asking Hanna to help with wedding planning was meant to be a slap in the face. That Spencer wanted to rub Hanna's face in the fact she, not Hanna, was the one marrying Caleb. Spencer really couldn't handle the drama, and Melissa was going out of her way to sow discord amongst the bridal party.

All on her own, and without Melissa's help, Aria's mind seemed to be in a constant state of disarray. There was the book to worry about on top of planning the details of Spencer's wedding (yes, there seemed to be a lot of people planning, but there are a lot of details to worry about, right?). And Jason. Every morning Aria woke up next to him, she had to pinch herself to make sure she was really awake. That this was not some sort of dream.

Things in Rosewood were, to put it lightly, tense. On top of Melissa's passive-aggressive power trip, Alison was back in town. With Nicole. The whole town was one big powder-keg, just waiting to explode.

On this particular Friday, Spencer, Aria, Lilly and Robin all took the second half of the day off. The plan was to head to Rosewood, spend the night at the Radley, then take off for Philly in the morning. Mona, Hanna and Emily met them at the bar for Happy Hour at 5 pm.

After the traditional "oh my god, it's so good to see you," "I'm so excited for your wedding/bachelorette party," etc., the Bridal Party pushed together two high tops in the Radley bar area. Shortly thereafter, a thin brunette in 5" stilettos walked over to take their order.

"Kelly, I have no idea how you can serve in those fabulous shoes," Hanna commented with mock jealousy. "I mean, your balance, amazing, how do you do it?"

"It helps that I don't have tree stumps for legs, Han," Kelly replied jokingly. Emily rolled her eyes at the typical banter. Apparently, Hanna and this Kelly girl were good friends from fashion school or something.

"So what'll it be tonight ladies? I hear someone's in the mood to let loose," Kelly winked at Spencer, who returned a quirked eyebrow and puzzled expression.

"I don't know if I'm in the mood for it, but I think it's expected," Spencer replied. "I'll have some kind of pink fruity drink I guess. Surprise me."

"Oooh, I love the 'guess this drink' game!" Aria piped up with typical Aria excitement. "Surprise me too!" 'Guess this drink' was something Carl the bartender at the Skellar liked to play. It all started one evening when the crew was closing the bar down in the middle of the week. Robin had just gotten a promotion and they all went out to celebrate. Carl was bored and Aria was indecisive, so he made her close her eyes while he made a drink for her. Then she had to guess what kind of drink it was. There was no real prize, except for a high five from Barney, a wink from Carl or a free drink.

Just as Kelly delivered their second round of drinks, Mona's eyes got wide. A low "uh oh" was muttered and Spencer turned to look in the direction of Mona's gaze. Alison. Nicole. Melissa. "Motherfucker," Spencer said under her breath. The three unwelcome ladies, if you could call them that, sauntered over to the bridal party.

"Oh, Spencer it's so good to see you! I wish you told me you were going to be here. I had to hear about the festivities from Alison," Melissa spoke with saccharine sweetness.

"You're not welcome for the _festivities,_ " Hanna stood up, nose-to-nose with Melissa. "None of you are," she glared at the other two bitches.

"Last time I checked, the Radley was a public establishment," Alison spoke with daggers flying from her pupils. "And it's not every night I can find a baby sitter for _our_ twins," she turned and glared at Emily.

"Oh you mean the girls that have the DiLaurentis nose and Caulderone eyes?" Emily spat back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lilly piped up. "We're not here to fight. You're welcome in the bar, but not at this table."

"I never go anywhere without my hockey stick," Robin spoke up belligerently, going all Canuck, ready to lay the smack down. "You want to step outside, eh?"

Kelly had set their drinks down and walked quietly back behind the bar. Moments later Toby stepped out from the kitchen area, wiping his hands on a towel. He'd been helping Ashley Marin out after her kitchen crew quit unexpectedly.

"There a problem here, ladies?" Toby brought back the menacing grin he'd perfected in high school but never had to use often anymore.

Melissa raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, your ex-girlfriend is marrying your best friend. Your best friend's ex-girlfriend is a lesbian now," she spoke with an air of self-importance. "I'd say things are just peachy-keen in this tiny, incestuous town. Now how 'bout you go fix me a martini, garcon?"

"You need to leave," Toby said authoritatively. "You too Alison and Nicole. You're only here to cause problems and I won't stand for it."

"I'd like to speak to the manager," Alison complained in a slightly whiny voice. _Some things never change,_ thought Emily at the sound of her ex-fiancé's voice.

"That's me tonight. Ashley has some business in the city," Toby replied.

Alison rolled her eyes, "Fine, whatever. I don't want to give my money to this disgusting place, it's obviously still crawling with crazy." With that the three unwelcome ladies left in a huff.

"Wow, what the fuck?" Spencer asked rhetorically. "Thanks for doing that Toby," Spencer smiled at her ex.

"No problem, Spence, let me buy you all a round of drinks," he replied. "No one's driving anywhere tonight, right?" It was more a statement than a question.

* * *

Saturday morning, all of them nursing slight hangovers, the girls met up in the Radley dining room for brunch before catching a train into the city. Aria had arranged for a low-key day in Philly, followed by an extravagant evening.

The train arrived shortly before 1 pm, and the girls stashed their overnight bags behind the hotel desk before heading out to walk around the city. The girls just kind of floated around the city for a few hours, stopping here or there for a drink and then a late lunch. Around 5 pm the girls headed back to their hotel to get ready. There was a hot new dance club opening, and Aria had managed to score the crew VIP tickets. On top of that, the bridesmaids all chipped in to rent a party bus, which was essentially a stretch hummer tricked out with strobe lights and a minibar.

When the pimp mobile, as Hanna called it, pulled up to the new club at 8 pm, Robin groaned about the line snaking halfway down the block. Aria, however, grabbed Spencer's arm and led her up to the front of the line. "Follow me, ladies!" Aria called, trying to keep her drunken shenanigans to minimum to prevent her from being barred.

"Hold up ladies," spoke a tall man with slightly curled black hair, blue eyes and a full sleeve of tattoos on each arm. The name tag just above Aria's eye level said Chad.

"Well hello there, Chad," Aria cooed flirtatiously, feeling extra bubbly from the champagne they'd just drank. "We're on the list – Aria Montgomery."

After looking Aria up and down with an appreciative glance, Chad's eyes scanned the list quickly and after locating the name, he stepped aside to let the girls inside. "Enjoy yourselves, ladies." The line of people were not impressed.

The girls found their way to the back of the club, and up the staircase leading to the VIP area. The loft was crowded, but they could move around and hear each other talking. Also, bottle service.

A blonde, somewhat goofy-looking guy stepped up to the table and introduced himself as Preston.

"I am going to be taking care of you sexy ladies this evening. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," he said with a wide smile. "Of course, I do have boundaries as laid out by the PALCB and this fine establishment," he added with a wink.

"Great," Spencer said. "Let's start out with a round of shots! Jager everyone?"

"Oh my god Spence," Hanna, who'd had more than her fair share of gin that afternoon, blurted out. "Why not just Roofie us?"

"Calm down, Han," her girlfriend cut in rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. "We don't all get blackout drunk on one shot of Jager."

"So 6 shots of Jager and a Shirley Temple?" Preston asked with a grin, then winked at Hanna as he turned towards the bar.

A few hours later the entire wedding party was out in the middle of the dance floor, holding nothing back. Hanna's arms were wrapped around Emily's neck as her hips swayed seductively, while a handful of frat guys blatantly ogled them. Robin was getting frisky with a cute brown-skinned guy named Sonny. Mona and Lilly doing some sort of dance that looked choreographed but wasn't.

After about 45 minutes of intense dancing that left the girls dripping in sweat, Aria spun around Spencer's left hand and stopped dead in her tracks. "I think I recognize that girl!" Aria exclaimed excitedly as she ran over to the girl with the dirty-blond ponytail. Spencer rolled her eyes and turned back towards their table. By the time she returned, Hanna was sitting on Emily's lap with her arms around the brunette's neck. Mona was animatedly telling a story to Robin and Lilly about who knows what.

Spencer felt lucky to have such a group of friends. "I love you guys," she gushed. It was as much Spencer talking as it was three shots of Jager.

Across the dance floor, the skip in Aria's step slowed as she approached the familiar girl. Aria was suddenly very nervous. She hadn't seen this girl since spring break of her junior year of college. Since before the Ezra thing happened. It felt like a lifetime ago – she was so carefree during that time.

"Paige?" Aria asked as she tapped the girl on the shoulder.

The girl turned slowly, trying to place the voice. When she saw the petite brunette, the stern expression was replaced with a huge smile. Paige reached down and picked Aria up in a bear hug. "You look amazing!"

The blonde on the other side of Paige cleared her throat. Paige set Aria down and turned to the other girl.

"Julia, this is my friend Aria. She's from Rosewood as well," Paige spoke nonchalantly, despite Julia's scowl and Paige's forgotten feelings resurfacing. "Aria, this is my girlfriend Julia."

Aria smiled at Julia and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you." Julia replied with a tight-lipped smile and excused herself to go to the bathroom without shaking Aria's hand.

"Sorry about that Aria," Paige said as her girlfriend stalked away. "Things have gotten rocky with us in the past few weeks. To be honest, I don't think we're going to last much longer. But that's neither here nor there. How the hell are you doing? Last I heard you moved to Boston."

"I am living in Boston, working for Umbrella Publishing. I'm actually here tonight with Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Mona, along with a couple girls from Boston," Aria replied. "Spencer is getting married in two weeks!"

"Toby?" Paige asked.

"Caleb, actually," Aria replied, eyes wide as if she was hearing the groundbreaking news for the first time herself.

"Wow, so Spencer is marrying Caleb and Hanna is still friends with her?" Paige was surprised. Then "where's Alison at? I thought she and Emily were engaged or married or something."

"Well this is where things get weird," Aria began. "Alison broke up with Emily after Mr. DiLaurentis died suspiciously and started dating the cop investigating his death. Hanna and Caleb split up after Charlotte's funeral, when he moved to DC. After that, Emily and Hanna got together."

Paige's jaw dropped. "Wow," she replied. "That small town just keeps getting smaller. Are you seeing anyone these days? Noel? Please tell me not Ezra."

"Oh my god, no, not Ezra," Aria replied quickly. "Or Noel, that was just a one-time thing when their lacrosse team was spring training in Florida," Aria couldn't help but smile remembering the crazy weekend she shared with Noel in Savannah a few years ago. "But I am dating someone - Jason DiLaurentis."

"That's great, you look so happy," Paige smirked at Aria's face, all hot and bothered thinking about either Noel or Jason. "Relationships can be brutal," Paige said, bringing focus back to the present situation. Paige hadn't had a stable relationship since Emily, and that was amateur high school stuff. "But we're out to have fun, so let's go get drinks!" Aria caught a glimpse of Julia giving her the evil eye as she stalked off down the stairs. Paige was in a potentially volatile position, so Aria opted not to fill her in on getting left behind.

An hour passed before Aria realized she had forgotten all the girls she came with. There was surprisingly a lot to catch up with Paige on. After giving a brief summary of her book, Aria leaned against the table, looking up at Paige as she heard about Paige's new head coaching gig at East Stroudsburg University. That's where she'd met Julia, who was the women's soccer coach. She supposed it was a jock thing.

"Oh my god, Paige?!" Emily ran up behind Aria, wrapping her ex-girlfriend in a hug. Hanna followed with a dumbfounded look on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I was out with my girlfriend, but I think she left," Paige didn't seem to care. "Who are these fine ladies?" Paige asked, eye Lilly then Robin.

"I'm Lilly," the cute redhead said.

"Robin," the dark haired girl said. "And you are?"

"Paige," she replied. "I went to high school with these girls," motioning toward the rest of the bridal party.

"She also dated Emily for a while," Hanna added without any malice or ill will in her voice. "Well someone had to introduce the elephant in the room before it got weird," Hanna replied as Spencer and Aria looked nervously at her.

"It's true," Emily agreed. "But it was a while ago, we don't hate each other or anything."

"Well, it's nice to see you all again. I've got to hit the head, as they say," Paige sounded nervous all of a sudden.

"Me too, I'll walk with you," Aria started bouncing from one foot to the other. She didn't actually need to pee, but she suspected neither did Paige. As Paige turned towards the bathroom, Aria linked arms with her and started skipping.

"Did anything ever happen between _Aria_ and Paige?" Lilly questioned when the pair were out of earshot. "The sexual tension could be cut with a knife between those two," she shook her head in amusement.

The Rosewood girls turned their heads so quickly they probably gave themselves whiplash. "No way," they cried in unison.

"I wouldn't put it past Aria," Robin said. "Not that we've known each other for long, but I've gotten a bisexual vibe from her more than once."

Spencer thought back to how close Aria was with Sophia. "It's possible I suppose," she said. "But she's absolutely head-over-heels for Jason now."

As the main party dissected the topic of Aria's sexual preference, the pair had made it too the bathroom line. Aria's arm dropped from Paige's and their hands met. Before she knew it, Aria's back was up against the wall, and Paige's lips crashed into hers.

* * *

 _The details of the wild weekend she spent with Paige in Key West the summer after junior year came rushing in. Aria had taken a drive to get away from the memories of Ezra. She'd been sitting alone on the beach, nursing a bottle of Johnny Walker._

 _"_ _Aria?" she turned, wondering who the hell had found her. Was Wes out trailing her for Ezra again? Aria might have to take out a PFA against the entire Fitz family, she though._

 _"_ _It's Paige!" Aria was confused as hell, but stood up to welcome her friend's ex-girlfriend to her lonely spot on the beach._

 _"_ _Wow, it's good to see you!" Aria tried to muster excitement, but failed miserably._

 _"_ _What the hell happened to you?" Paige was suddenly alarmed. Aria looked frail, had massive bags under her eyes. Before she could stop herself, Aria poured out the grim details of Ezra's attack. The scotch helped her get the entire story out without crying, but made the sob-fest all the more intense when Paige gathered the broken girl in her arms._

 _After about 5 minutes Aria had managed to get herself under control. She found herself wrapped tightly in Paige's arms, comforted for the first time in months. Aria took a deep breath and looked up into Paige's warm eyes. Paige returned her intense gaze and before either could stop themselves, the two were lying on the beach, bodies entwined, moaning, completely lost in each other._

 _They were brought back down to reality when a group of college-age guys walking past started whistling and cat-calling them. Aria sat up, suddenly feeling very exposed. Paige turned to yell at the guys. "Nothing to see here, get the hell out of here and go drool over some skanks you might have a chance with!"_

 _"_ _Fuck you, dyke!" the tallest bro yelled, flipping the girls off._

 _Another of the guys held is hands in front of his pelvis and rocking his hips suggestively. "You don't know what you're missing."_

 _This triggered Aria's memory of Ezra's abuse, and she started hyperventilating._

 _"_ _Get the fuck out of here," Paige stood up menacingly, and the douchey guys took off down the beach. "I'm so sorry Aria," Paige took the girl in her arms again. "Do you want to get out of here?"_

 _"_ _Yes please," Aria looked up with red eyes, breaking Paige's heart._

 _"_ _Come on, I'll take you back to my room," Paige put her arm around Aria's shoulder. Aria got a tingling of excitement in her stomach._

* * *

After their brief make-out session, Aria and Paige returned to their friends, each glowing in a way they hadn't been when they left. Lilly quirked her eyebrows at the rest of the group, as if to say, "told you so."

"Well, I think I need to go find a way home now. I've got a girlfriend to fight with," Paige said breaking the tension. "It was good to run into you all." She squeezed Aria's hand, looking into her eyes, saying _I love you_ without words.

"Well, I think I need to go find a way home now. I've got a girlfriend to fight with," Paige said breaking the tension. "It was good to run into you all." She squeezed Aria's hand, looking into her eyes, saying _I love you_ without words.

A/N: Aria has a very complex history related to the abuse from Ezra. I wanted to go into that more deeply, but I don't think this is the story to do that in. Hopefully you've enjoyed this penultimate chapter! One more to go, and I won't keep you waiting too much longer. Thanks for reading?


	15. Spencer & Caleb's Wedding

Spencer & Caleb's wedding

Spencer woke up at 6 am Saturday morning to a text message from the wedding planner. Cori was replying to some last-minute question Veronica had after the rehearsal dinner. Spencer rolled over and covered her head with the pillow. All the stress of the wedding planning had reached a tipping point the previous morning. Spencer was frustrated with Caleb not having his things packed for the trip back to Rosewood. During the middle of frantically trying to get everything in the car and make sure nothing got forgotten, Melissa called to ask where they were. Spencer wasn't sure exactly why she answered, other than she felt like she was supposed to. Spencer always held a cool exterior by the past few weeks she'd been feeling like a puppet. Nothing about this wedding was what she wanted – it was all about everyone else, especially her mother and sister.

 _"_ _Jesus fucking Christ, we haven't even left yet!" Spencer yelled. At hearing his fiancé finally losing her cool, Caleb whipped around. He'd sensed Spencer get pushed to her limits the past few weeks. She'd been intense, which for Spencer was essentially hulk mania._

 _"_ _Spence, it's fine! Everything is packed and ready to go. Just grab your purse and we'll be on our way." Caleb tried unsuccessfully not to sound exasperated. He watched as Spencer pulled the phone away from her ear, squeezing it in her fist, and put his arm out gently to prevent her from throwing it. Things were about to hit the fan._

 _Spencer took a deep breath and smiled at Caleb before putting the phone back to her ear. "…it's not too late Spence. Caleb is not going to magically change overnight after you get married. You don't have to go through with this."_

 _Caleb saw Spencer's eyes go wide, her nostrils flared and she threw the phone across the living room before he could even register what was happening. The clay vase Aria had made as part of their apartment-warming gift fell to the ground and shattered. Spencer dropped to the floor, arms around her knees, holding her head in her and and started hyper-ventilating. The air was heavy, damp, suffocating. If she moved she was afraid of what else she might break._

 _Her fiancé sat next to her on the floor with a reassuring hand holding her slender shoulders. He had to give her credit, Spencer was actually trying to get along with Melissa – despite Melissa being an awful human being. "Everything's going to be OK Sweetie, I promise. What do you need me to do?" Caleb asked softly as he reached out and put her stray hairs behind her ear, caressing her cheek._

 _"_ _Strangle Melissa. I don't want her anywhere near me this weekend," Spencer said through gritted teeth. "She basically just told me not to marry you," she looked hard at Caleb. He could see the venom in her eyes. There was only way this could end without bloodshed – if Melissa was nowhere near Rosewood._

Spencer got up, thanked Cori for her response and brewed herself a cup of coffee. Her room at the Radley, the wedding suite, which Caleb would not step foot into until after the wedding, had a balcony. Knowing how stressful the day would be, Spencer had come prepared. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the flask of Jameson, pack of cigarettes and lucky purple lighter.

When the single-size coffee pot beeped, Spencer poured in a healthy dose of whiskey and took her pack of smokes out to the balcony. The sky was beginning to lighten but the sun had not yet breached the horizon. The high-strung bride-to-be sat on the big wicker chair, put her feet up on the little wicker table, and lit up. No one really knew Spencer smoked, and it wasn't often, but nothing quite beat the buzz from the first puff of a cigarette after 4 months of no nicotine. The caffeine and alcohol further calmed her nerves. After about 20 minutes of drinking, smoking and enjoying the view it was time for Spencer to shower and get ready to get ready.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the hall, Aria woke up to Jason placing soft kisses across her chin. Her brown eyes found his blue eyes, each losing their self in the other's. It's awfully hokey to call eyes the windows to the soul, but in Jason and Aria's case, that is exactly what they were. Aria rolled to her side, leaning in to capture Jason's lips in hers. He responded by slipping his hands behind her head while slipping his tongue into her mouth. Aria's hands traveled down Jason's naked torso as she lifted herself on top of his groin. She moaned as she slid her silk panties up and down his growing erection.

"God, baby, you're so fuckin hot," he moaned as Aria turned herself around and pulled his boxers off with one quick tug. As she closed her mouth around his stiff prick, she slid her ass down until she was positioned above his mouth. Aria's head bobbed up and down as Jason slipped his tongue through her wet folds. Jason expertly found her clitoris and moaned as her wetness dripped down his face. Aria's head moved quicker as she felt Jason getting closer, which caused Jason to move quicker as well. The two were nearing mutual climax and neither could control theirself. The pair exploded in ecstasy, falling into a pile of limbs, slowly floating back down to earth.

The bridesmaids met in the lobby of the Radley at 9:15. Their hair and make up appointments began at 9:30. Hanna, Mona and Emily walked in together, Hanna carrying what appeared to be an entire case of champagne. Robin and Lilly were sitting at a table drinking coffee while Aria was pacing and trying to whisper into her phone. Spencer was nowhere to be seen.

"Is everything OK?" Emily was the first to speak. "Spencer's not here and Aria is near panic. Did something happen?"

"No, no, everything is OK. Spencer is on her way down and Aria is trying to run intervention. She's on the phone with Toby trying to figure out the best way to keep Melissa out of town," Mona said. "Mike's with Toby." She held up her phone as proof of her insider knowledge.

Aria hung up the phone and walked back into the lobby as Spencer emerged from the elevator. "Good morning, Spence!" Aria said a little too excitedly. "Whoa, rough morning?" she asked upon smelling whiskey and cigarette's on her friend's breath first thing.

"Fan-fucking-tastic!" Spencer replied, mustering all the enthusiasm she could. It wasn't like she didn't want to marry Caleb, it was more she didn't want the spectacle of it.

The rest of the bridal party stared at each other wide-eyed. "Oh shit," Hanna and Emily said in unison.

Mona took charge. "Well, I'm parked out front and Hanna's behind me. Half can go with me, the rest with Hanna. I'll stop to pick up breakfast and meet you at the salon." Spencer and Aria got into the car with Hanna and Emily while Robin and Lilly went with Mona.

After 3 hours and 6 bottles of Champagne, the girls returned to the hotel to get dressed for pictures. The photographer met them in the lobby and followed Spencer up to her room. "What the fuck?" Spencer belligerently asked about the man's presence.

"The bride getting ready is an important part of the wedding," Brian replied. "Don't worry, I'm not going to take pictures of you in your skivvies."

No sooner than Spencer had gotten into the limo that was ready to take her to the church, Aria's phone rang. The maid of honor grimaced as she answered. Spencer heard Veronica's frantic voice screech through the phone, her mother yelling incoherently.

"Melissa, oh my god! The wedding – no! It can't happen today. Why this? What have you done to my baby girl?" Aria had to hold the phone away from her ear to not go deaf. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Toby's name pop up in the screen.

"I'm sorry Veronica, I have to go!" Aria yelled before switching to Toby and putting him on speakerphone. "What the hell is going on with Melissa? What sort of crazy stunt did you pull to keep her out of Spencer's hair?"

"Ha ha Aria, none of us are responsible for putting Melissa into the hospital. She had a rough night last night. Me and the guys saw her out with Alison and Nicole down at the Elephant and Castle," Toby began. "They all seemed pretty lit up, then I caught a glance at Melissa walk into the bathroom with a tall goofy-looking guy. We all kind of got caught up in shots and I didn't see Melissa leave with Alison and Nicole."

"…And…did Melissa get raped or something?" Aria needed Toby to hurry the hell up with the story.

"Possibly. Probably. The bar staff found her slumped over the toilet around 4:30 am and called the ambulance. I guess she got to the hospital and they pumped her stomach. Blood tests showed Xanax, Ativan, morphine and cocaine in her system. Not exactly a date-rape cocktail, but who the hell knows what happened. It's not like they had video cameras in the bathroom stalls. Veronica is on the war path about….I don't even know what anymore," Toby finished.

"Oh my fucking god, are you serious?!" Spencer exclaimed.

"You're on speaker phone incase you didn't know," Aria chuckled despite the situation.

"I figured," Toby replied. "Veronica just got off the phone with Cori. Thank god there is a neutral party here that can take charge."

* * *

An intense hour later, Spencer was waiting in the lobby area of the church. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her dad's arm as she smiled at him. Peter was doing his best to hold back tears but wasn't entirely successful. Spencer lead off down the aisle as the acoustic guitar player strummed the opening bars of Stairway to Heaven. Caleb stood at the front of the church, surrounded by all their closest friends, feeling like his heart might burst at any moment. Spencer looked radiantly gorgeous. The love between them was palpable throughout their vows. The wedding party strutted out to the tune of White Wedding by Billy Idol.

It was nearly 11 pm by the time Aria plopped down on the bed, while Jason was in the bathroom. Apart from the Melissa in the hospital drama, the day went fairly smoothly. Probably better that Melissa was in the hospital rather than running amok at the wedding. Toby's story sounded a little suspicious, but there were other witnesses able to corroborate it.

Hanna got too drunk and Emily practically had to carry her out. Barney spent most of the evening courting Ashley Marin, and in the end was successful. Lilly and Marshall slipped out of the reception early, despite two trips to the single bathroom. Ted struck out left and right, until after the reception when he broke out the red cowboy boots and strutted into the Radley bar. Mike and Mona danced the night away, as if no one else in the room was there. Toby and Robin spent most of the evening talking, but ultimately each went home alone. Spencer was floating on air all night and Caleb had eyes for no one but Spencer.

"Hey Aria," Jason called out from the bathroom.

"Yes honey?" she replied, not really having the energy to move.

"Can you come in here? I dropped my contact on the floor, and can't find it," Jason replied.

Aria groaned as she sat up. "I'll be right there," she replied. When she walked into the bathroom, however, Jason was not looking for a dropped contact. Instead he was holding a rose.

"What the fuck? Where did you get a rose? Why?" Aria was immediately on edge; her head suddenly felt like it was full of fuzz. Jason was not holding that rose when they came into the room. It was not there when _she_ had used the bathroom. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Things had definitely gotten to the point of surreality. The room felt like it was spinning, and she was ready to fall off. Maybe she got some of the cocktail Melissa succumbed to the night before. Maybe it was in the water.

"Aria Marie Montgomery, will you marry me?"

 **A/N: Sorry if this ending seems a bit rushed. I've strung this story line along for too long, never deciding which way to go. The story was going to cross lines with another story I started called Viewed Through a Broken Mirror. But then I got overwhelmed with ideas and chaos then ultimately lost interest in PLL fanfic. I hope you have enjoyed reading this, and I sincerely appreciate each and everyone of you. Much luv!**


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